


Shadows of Remembrance

by TitaniaSarys



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: BUT I LOVE THEM, Let's explore the galaxy, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, Rebellion, Too many characters, ahsoka lives, what happened to Ahsoka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-06-08 16:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 47
Words: 103,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6862588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitaniaSarys/pseuds/TitaniaSarys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The adventures of Ahsoka Tano between the moment she left the Jedi Order and when she met the Ghost crew, from 20 BBY to 4 BBY. Will include characters from both CW and Rebels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coruscant (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / hours after leaving the Jedi Order_

She didn’t know where to go first. She had thought her decision through for hours, days even when she was waiting for her trial and it was the most heart breaking decision she had ever taken. She wasn’t kidding. She still couldn’t believe she’d actually done it. But there was no other way. She was determined not to come back to the Order. At least not for now. She was too hurt, she felt too betrayed to stay and she hated herself for hoping someday her feelings would change. She wasn’t angry at any of the Masters, although Master Windu’s words had made her frown, but she was disappointed by the council as a whole.

Barriss wasn’t her friend anymore and she only felt deception when she thought about the Mirialan, but her former friend was somewhat right: the Jedi Order wasn’t the same anymore. Ahsoka had some suspicions; she feared someone else might be behind all Dooku’s actions. She had been betrayed by Barriss, she had been betrayed from within so she started to think that maybe the Republic itself was corrupt. She hoped she was wrong and for now, she promised herself not to think about it. For now, all she wanted to do was leave Coruscant, stay somewhere low for a while and only after some time, she thought she could start to investigate. But for now, her emotions clouded her judgment.

There was only one place she had to go before leaving Coruscant. She didn’t want to go there at first, just like she didn’t want to go to any place the Jedi had activities like Ilum for example. But she couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye. She hadn’t said much to her Master because if she started to talk, she’s end up crying her eyes out and she knew he’d try to stop her. When he followed her out of the counsel room, she had felt all her resolve crumble and she didn’t want to sadden him even more.

She was glad though that she had told him she knew about him and Padme. Of course, it was implied, but she was glad that her last words to her Master were meant to show him that she knew all along and that she accepted it, that she wasn’t going to reveal her secret. To Ahsoka, it ultimately meant that her bond would never be broken, even if they don’t see each other ever again, that she trusted him and knew he trusted her, that she respected him more than anyone else in the galaxy, that she was so proud he had been her Master, even for those few years and that it literally broke her heart to leave. She wasn’t sure he got all of that with her two simple words, but they never were closer than when she left him at the temple’s entrance. It was almost as if all their secrets had been laid on the table, as if they were both bare, with nothing to hide and nothing more to say than just _thank you_ and _goodbye_.

She didn’t look back at the temple until she was down all the steps. That’s only then that she allowed her tears to flow freely and she just stood there crying. After five good minutes, she wiped her tears and rented a speeder to the place of a certain person she admired very much and that was like a sister to her. She knocked on the door and Senator Amidala opened.

“Ahsoka. What are you doing here?”

The senator’s voice was soft and slightly surprised, actually Padme was wondering what was Ahsoka doing here because Anakin had told her the council accepted her back. And judging from the wet face of the young Togruta, things didn’t go as planned. Without adding another word, the senator let her friend come in and closed the door. She immediately ordered a droid to prepare some tea and biscuits but Ahsoka waved her kind proposition away.

“I won’t be staying… I just… came to say goodbye.”

Padme froze. She was still wearing the clothes she had when she defended Ahsoka during her trial that happened some three or more hours ago. The Padawan was standing in the middle of the living room, not wanting to sit down on the couch but not willing either to stay by the door. Then Padme noticed that her lightsabers were missing and also her Padawan braid. She also didn’t get her comlink back.

“I…” Ahsoka closed her eyes for a brief moment; it was indeed very difficult to say out loud. “I left the Jedi Order. I need to figure things out on my own, without everybody else. Things might change some day… or maybe not. But I can’t stay on Coruscant to figure it out.”

The Togruta thought the senator deserved some explanation, the same she had given Anakin. Ahsoka was grateful that Padme didn’t ask more questions about that matter and hugged her instead. She seemed to have read in her voice that it cost her a lot to do that but that there was no other way. Ahsoka didn’t want to leave but she had made up her mind and she was sure that in time, things would be better, she hoped it was only temporary but didn’t want to get her hopes up too much in case things don’t turn out the way she’d expect them to.

“I see.” Padme simply said. “Where will you go?”

Ahsoka crossed her arms on her chest and shrugged her shoulders.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t really know. Somewhere the Jedi don’t have any ties, somewhere I could think without being disturbed and somewhere I won’t attract too much attention. I don’t plan on using the Force but my face is not exactly common. A lot of people will recognize me, especially those of the systems where I’ve been to.”

“How about Onderon? And Lux?”

Ahsoka blushed but looked away. She had thought about Lux on Onderon. It was actually the first place that came to her mind when she thought where she could go. But she hadn’t talked to Lux in months, the last time it was at Steela’s funeral and it hadn’t exactly been a great moment. The Togruta knew Lux became the Senator of Onderon and would sit at the Senate, but she had no idea when actually he was on Coruscant or Onderon or even Raxus. Padme answered her silent questions.

“He sits at the Senate but he came back to Onderon for a few days after our last meeting. Maybe you could join him there? It’s not so close to our system and you already know the place. Besides, you could easily hide and you have countless allies there.”

Ahsoka weighted pros and cons and finally decided the senator was right. They started planning her trip and when Ahsoka decided to completely change her outfit for something more casual even if she really liked her Jedi clothes, Padme insisted to pay for it, as a parting gift. The young Togruta agreed to have a last meal with the senator before boarding a cruiser for Onderon. Padme bid her goodbye at the departing platform, handed her a small suitcase with everything she could need and Ahsoka was moved by the senator’s gesture. She could see tears shining in the Padme’s eyes and hugged her warmly.

“Take care of yourself, Ahsoka. I will miss you. We all will.”

Ahsoka nodded and bit her lips; she wasn’t going to cry again. She had talked a lot with Padme during the meal, she had told her everything she would have wanted to tell Anakin, Obi-Wan, Master Plo, even the clones and especially Rex. She hoped a little bit the senator might communicate those things to the different concerned people, because Ahsoka herself didn’t have either the courage or the strength to tell them. She just knew that the moment she’d start telling her goodbyes she’d be tempted to stay and that’s something she couldn’t allow herself to do if she wanted to move on and figure things out.

So she boarded the cruiser for Onderon and went to the back of the ship. She bit her lips and walked out through the back entrance. She checked if Padme or any member of her escort were looking that way and quickly ran to another transport that she boarded without even looking at the planet it was going to. The ship was small and only a dozen people were inside which was perfect. Less people meant a more remote place where she could be alone and avoid being recognized. She paid her ticket with the credits she took. It was a rare thing she didn’t throw out.

She hated throwing things away because she had so little as a Jedi, since attachment either to living beings or material objects was forbidden. The only things she had in her possession were some clothes, her usual outfit, her Padawan braid that she had left Anakin and she frowned as she remembered that detail. She sat in the back row and looked through the window as the ship was taking off. She should have taken her braid with her, leaving it to her former Master would only make things more difficult for him. He will have trouble forgetting her. She knew he’d someday have trouble letting her go, she had realized it when the other Masters started talking about it repeatedly but she also figured it out herself when she came back after those Trandoshians hunters captured her. She hoped that by forcing his hand, he’d finally accept it. Knowing him, had she stayed, he would have probably delayed her Knight trials for as long as he could in order to protect her forever.

The other two things she had left were her light sabers. She had lost her shoto when she fled the troopers and her other saber in the warehouse where she fought Barriss. But she got the feeling her Master had found them and kept them as souvenirs. Apart from that, she didn’t have much in her room at the temple. She had destroyed her comlink in the lower city during her flight and she had a hologram displayer in her room that showed pictures of her loved ones. She loved it because it reminded her of all the things she had accomplished and all the people she didn’t want to forget, a lot of them being fallen troopers. She actually took it and had it in the pocket attached to the back of her belt.

She had enough credits to live for at least three months and she could easily rent a place and even buy a speeder. But she knew she’d have to find a job sooner or later and a job that didn’t require her using the Force because that was the best way to be recognized. It was a big change to have to work for herself. Since she was three the Jedi Order had taken care of her. It was also very difficult to realize and accept she could do whatever she wanted, buy whatever she pleased, be with whomever she liked, even intimately. She slightly blushed and looked one last time at Coruscant before the ship left the atmosphere and everything she knew behind. She didn’t know why, but she got the feeling she wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.


	2. Myrkr - Part 1 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / hours after leaving the Jedi Order_

She only discovered the ship she had boarded was bound to Myrkr when the pilot said so. She had heard things about that planet during her apprenticeship, things about the creatures that lived there, creatures that could erase the Force and others that were highly attracted by it. It was at the same time suicide and a miracle. She was sure she wouldn’t be followed but at the same time she risked her life. That was fine by her. She needed some action anyway to chase her moody thoughts away.

Once the ship landed on the planet’s spatioport, she entered the city. Well, city was a big word for the less than fifty buildings that were almost glued together. But it was actually perfect: everyone seemed to know each other down there and not much contact was exchanged with the outside world. Ahsoka wasn’t sure she’d live there, but it was a good start. She could at least spend a few days, maybe even weeks here.

Her suitcase in hand, she entered the closest shop which seemed to sell everything. She really appreciated Padme’s gesture, but the suitcase was the least practical thing in the universe so she exchanged it for a large travelling bag that she slung over her shoulder so it didn’t hinder her movements. It was weird to walk around in a grey tunic, black cargo pants and brown pilot boots. She had accepted that Padme paid for her clothes but she had been very specific about not wanting to attract attention with expensive clothes for example. A navy blue jacket completed her outfit alongside a dark cloak that she kept in her bag with a second change of clothes, a little bit of food, some stuff to wash that Padme insisted she took and the hologram displayer that she put also in there.

She was tempted to buy a comlink but decided against it. Once she’ll have a job, she’ll figure out something to stay tuned in the world’s information channels and with her skills she could easily access the weakest channels without being caught or followed or even worst recognized. She also felt kind of naked without her light sabers and decided to buy a small blade that she slid in her right boot. A pistol would probably come more in handy but she had never been an exceptional shot except for when she was in a ship. There was actually a huge difference between shooting in space with powerful guns than on a planet with a mere blaster.

The planet was very luxurious and apart from that small town, there seemed to be no other sign of civilization elsewhere. The jungle seemed to cover most of the place and she heard folks talking about minerals that were very precious because they could disturb scanners and detectors. As she walked through the streets, making her way to the border of the town, she listened carefully but tried to seem as innocent as possible. She didn’t try to hide her face because in such a small community it would seem out of place but she didn’t stop to look people in the eye either.

She reached the border of the town and set into the jungle without even looking back once. She had decided not to use the Force in order not to be recognized although it wasn’t like Jedi were hunted down or something. But she was ready to defend herself and these creatures could prove an interesting challenge.

Ahsoka walked for what seemed like hours and being in such a peaceful environment was a big change from Coruscant. She could hear and feel every living thing surrounding her, she could connect to them through the Force like Anakin had shown her even though it wasn’t his strong suit. Walking wasn’t actually that bad and she did it for most of the day. When she left Padme, it was well into the afternoon and now the sun was setting, making her wonder where she could find some shelter. It didn’t seem like this night it would rain but again, Ahsoka knew very little about life here. Maybe the creatures, and it was very probable, hunted at night. She’d better find some shelter before she was completely blind and would have to use the Force or the vibrations around her.

The more she walked under the thick canopy of jungle leaves, the more she had to squint her eyes to see the environment. She seemed to have reached a part of the jungle that was thicker and it made it more difficult for her to keep up with her pace. She also could less and less see the sky because the trees seemed to grow more closely to each other in those parts of the jungle. She sighed. She should have bought some sort of lamp or flashlight with her. That was her own fault; she should have planned her departure more carefully.

After a few minutes, she couldn’t see anything and so she tuned in the Force. She could almost see every living creature around her in her mind, picturing shiny silhouettes at the places where they were around her. She started using her montrals but nothing was directly coming at her. That is until a branch snapped under her left foot.

From that moment on, she heard and felt movement behind her. She could sense five different figures, small as if crouching but very dangerous. She heard growls and didn’t think twice about running. She didn’t care she was blind; she just knew that, she could feel, that if she stopped, those creatures would eat her. And she didn’t leave the Jedi Order to die on that remote planet. All idea of challenge abandoned her at once and she regretted not buying that blaster or a vibroblade, something more useful that the short one she had.

She ran until she couldn’t take it anymore. Everything was pitch black around her, she just managed to feel the roots on the ground before tripping on them. She kept running and jumping, panting and sweating until her body refused to do it further. She stopped and pulled out her short blade, digging it into the throat of the first beast that jumped at her. The only thing she could distinguish from the darkness was the vague form of the creature, a black dog with a long tail and dangerous fangs. Vornskrs. Those were the animals that particularly liked Force users. Ahsoka bit her lips as she was sitting on the hard ground, wriggling her blade free.

She didn’t to wait to see how close to her tail were the other four. She started running again. It seemed like hours before they caught up with her. True, her body couldn’t take it anymore when the first Vornskr had attacked her, but after that moment, she reached into her reserves, she was a Jedi after all, a user of the Force, she was stronger and more resistant than others, she could keep on running for a while longer. The beasts were faster though and could follow her because of her Force signature. She cursed. There were many ways of the Force she hadn’t mastered, hiding her Force signature was one of them. She’d have to work on that if she wanted to remain hidden, both from those kinds of creatures and the Jedi.

The first of the remaining four finished like the other creature, throat cut open, but it put more of a fight, forcing Ahsoka to keep on moving around the beast, never at the same spot for more than three seconds. She used the basic movements of Ataru, the form she completed with Jar’Kai while fighting with a light saber. It mostly consisted of fast and acrobatic movements designed to drown the opponent in strikes. She was good but she wasn’t good enough to avoid the other three creatures that jumped her at the same time. She managed to avoid the one aiming at her head and slashed at the one near her arm but her leg got caught in the jaws of the last one and she screamed, making some strange birds fly away.

She couldn’t run anymore. She was feeling pain in her leg, sure, but not as much as she expected. It looked like those pilot boots were actually pretty thick and resistant. Good. She mentally thanked Padme again and managed to take the third beast out, the one she had already hit. But the other two were closing in on her, turning around her in circles, growling. They knew she was done for. If they managed to get a hold of her at the same time, she was doomed.

They didn’t jump at the same time. The first one managed to push her to the side when she tried to avoid it and the other was about to jump but she raised her hand to push it away with the Force. Her instincts kicked in, Jedi or not, on the run or hiding, she wasn’t going to die because of her stupid pride or fear of plunging back into the past. But nothing actually happened. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t even sense things around her anymore apart from vibrations. She looked around and in the darkness, she was able to make out the silhouette of a big fat lizard climbing a trunk. She only saw it because it was bright orange and kind of glowed in the dark. An Ysalamiri. One of the creatures that blocked the Force completely on a small distance.

She cursed as the last beast was coming at her, claws and fangs bared and ready to slice and bite. She didn’t close her eyes like anybody would do while expecting the fatal blow. She just looked the animal straight in the eyes. If she was about to die, she’d rather do it completely aware of her surroundings, even if it meant seeing horrible and disgusting things. But as she was about to meet her end and thought about all the people she loved and missed, a blaster shot reached the animal, striking it down. Then the other beast was shot down too.

Ahsoka stood up and looked at the direction from where the shots came. There was someone in the tree, she could see their vibrations, but the Force was still blocked. It was actually the tree on which was the lizard. The person climbed down and a light blinded Ahsoka when the person came to her. The voice was rough and deep, a male’s voice and it didn’t seem old, not really older than she was.

“So it’s you they were after.”


	3. Myrkr - Part 2 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / hours after leaving the Jedi Order_

The light shifted to the side, allowing Ahsoka to finally see who her mysterious rescuer was. It was a human male of roughly twenty years old, maybe a little less. He was tall and muscular and even in the darkness she could guess his skin was tanner than usual. He had dark dreadlocks that reached the middle of his back and a very thin beard on the edges of his jaw. His eyes were the deepest blue with a hint of silver. Some of his dreadlocks were dyed in red and yellow and an eagle feather was pointing out from the small crimson scarf holding his hair tightly together. He was wearing dark clothes and a blaster was attached to his left leg.

His light looked like an old lamp powered with the same kind of power cells she had used to create her light sabers. It was massive and took a lot of place. He put it on the ground next to him and crossed his arms. His gloves were as dark as the rest of his outfit and in the semi-darkness, Ahsoka couldn’t make out if they were entirely black or more in shades of dark brown.

“I wonder what you did to anger the Vornskrs. They don’t attack people unless they’re hungry but they also quickly abandon their pray if it runs faster. It’s pretty easy to get lost in this jungle. So I’m wondering what in the galaxy you could have done to them so they followed you all the way out here.”

He was talking as if they were in a different part of the jungle and Ahsoka was about to reply that all the trees looked alike until she realized he was actually right. The trees in that part didn’t grow as closer as before and some shining silver flowers could be seen at the foot of the trees. Also, they were a lot more rocks than before. That’s when she remembered what the town folks were talking about: it was probably one of the places where they took out those stones that could fool scanners.

Her gaze shifted from the young man in front of her to the speeder that was hidden a few feet behind him, carefully camouflaged in the wild. It wasn’t the kind of speeder she was used to in Coruscant for example or that always could be found in a shuttle, but it looked more like the bigger model. It was actually more a small smuggler car than a speeder, the same kind she had used to escape Carlac with Lux, except there were crates in the back. Thinking about Bonteri made her lower her gaze to hide her feelings and the man mistook it for guilt.

“Nah, forget about it. I don’t want to know actually. That’s your problem.”

He picked up his light as Ahsoka was about to speak but to tell what? That these animals attacked her because she’s Force-sensitive? That would be the same as saying _‘Hey! I’m a Jedi! Or actually I was until I decided to suddenly leave yesterday!’_ Of course, she knew it was more complicated than that and that she had good reasons but she couldn’t erase the irony of her own thoughts.The man shot the light at the car and started walking towards it.

“These beasts won’t cause you anymore trouble but you’ve got yourself a new problem: you owe me. So let’s talk about a deal in the nearest cavern, shall we? As much as I love nature, I’m not a fan of sleeping under the stars with all the bugs crawling under my boots.”

He shivered as he said so and Ahsoka crossed her arms on her chest before wincing slightly when she tried to follow him. He was right of course, he had helped her out, saved her life even. Usually, she wouldn’t have let someone talk to her like that, but she was dead tired, hungry and wounded. Even if it didn’t seem to be very deep, her injury still hurt, even more now that the adrenaline wasn’t coursing in her veins anymore. Ignoring her pain, she took one step forward, winced, took another one, frowned but during the third she whimpered. It wasn’t very loud but it was enough for the mysterious man to hear her and he turned in her direction.

“Need a little help?” he asked but she shook her head and walked faster, which made her winced even more. Gritting her teeth, she jumped on board and landed on her good leg, then sat down on the crates that held she had no idea what.

“Suit yourself,” he simply said and got in the car.

The place next to the driver was empty but Ahsoka wasn’t going to sit there. Sitting on the crates in the back gave her a higher position and allowed her to abandon ship if something went wrong. True, he had saved her but that didn’t mean she trusted him. He could be a Jedi hunter or an animal smuggler for all she knew. Besides, he hadn’t introduced himself or explained what he was doing in the middle of the jungle. But neither had she so they were even.

The engines came to life and Ahsoka was surprised at how silent they were. Usually those kinds of cars were as loud as possible, especially Coruscant models. He drove for a few minutes and reached a cavern like he had said. She jumped off the car when the engines were dead and landed again on her good leg. She started making her way inside the cavern, ignoring his gaze that was burning a hole in the back of her neck. The man simply smiled slyly and rolled his eyes at the sky, clearly amused by her stubbornness.

He camouflaged the car again and picked up two crates that he put inside the cavern. He used the light to see inside and pulled out of the crates different things like kindling, some bottles, matches, blankets, pretty much everything that was needed to go camping. Ahsoka raised her brow markings in surprise and watched as he made a fire. The cavern was very good because it allowed them to sit comfortably and even lay down, without being on top of each other and the smoke was going straight outside because the ceiling wasn’t straight. That could be a problem if it rained, but the weather was nice so far.

Ahsoka sat down besides the fire and put her bag next to her, opposite to the stranger. As the man was preparing some sort of stew that smelled so good it made her mouth water, she outstretched her wounded leg and assessed the damage. Her boot had three large claw marks but didn’t seem to be cut or pierced. She then took it off and rolled her pants sleeve up to her knee. There weren’t any cuts but the slash had been so powerful it had bruised her calf in three different places.

“Ouh, that’s nasty,” said the stranger when he looked at the purple bruises. “You need some supplies?”

Ahsoka shook her head and started rummaging through her bag as the young man was stirring the stew above the fire.

“Nope, I got everything I need.”

She pulled out the small package Padme had insisted she took and opened it. Inside she found some soap and other cleaning products but she also found some scissors, bandages and bacta plasters. She sticked some on her calf, lowered her sleeve and put her boot back on. By the time she was finished, the stew was warm and he gave her a full bowl with a spoon.

“Thanks. First you save me, now you feed me.”

She sniffed the food and he laughed. It was a heartwarming laughter, the kind that was contagious and honest.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t poisoned it. And you’re welcome. The name’s Maximus Dromelia by the way, but you can call me Max.”

He then dug in as if to show her it truly wasn’t poisoned. Ahsoka sat silent for a fraction of second before she answered.

“I’m Fulcrum.”

She hated lying, especially about something so basic and that she was used to, but she figured if she was going to put her past behind her and start anew, changing her name wasn’t an option. Max didn’t seem to buy it though.

“You’re serious? Come on, a pretty girl like you must have a prettier name!”

He quickly dropped it when she avoided his gaze and didn’t answer. Max didn’t seem to appreciate silence for very long because he continued talking.

“So, where’re from?”

She was about to say _‘the Jedi temple on Coruscant’_ but bit her lips.

“Shili. I actually came here to start a new life,” she said instead.

He seemed to buy it this time and nodded like he just received some important piece of information that was vital for his survival and he had to remember it perfectly.

“I was born on Naboo but my mom passed away when I was five and I moved with my dad on Tatooine. He was a droid parts dealer and made several deals with the Hutts. That didn’t end well.”

Now that the Force was back, Ahsoka could feel Max more clearly, even though he wasn’t Force-sensitive. She also didn’t find any trace of sadness in his voice as if it didn’t matter to him that his father was gone.

“I’m sorry,” she replied.

He looked up from his now empty bowl.

“Oh no, it’s not like that! My dad didn’t die at the hands of the Hutts, he just ran into some trouble, that’s all. Nothing he couldn’t handle with money though. No, he actually died of an illness a few years ago.”

“And you’ve been on your own ever since, I presume.”

She had finished too and put the bowl on the ground before bringing her knees to her chin, her stare wandering in the flames, observing their ballet.

“Yep, but I manage. You? Why did you leave Shili? Togrutas seem a peaceful race to me…”

She bit her lips as she started thinking about a good answer that would satisfy his curiosity but wouldn’t reveal too much about her former affiliations.

“Well I had a family before, but because of some… family matters and arguments, I decided to leave.”

Max nodded.

“I can understand that.” He then looked at her and took a business-like voice. “Well, we’ve got to talk about our deal.”

She sighed.

“Yes, you helped me and I owe you my life. What do you want in return?”

He didn’t make her wait for long, he had already thought about that.

“Well, I could just let you go with your promise that if I need something from you someday you’d have no other choice than help me out, but I’ve got something else in mind.” He pointed at her montrals. “Those are Akul teeth, right? Do you have any idea how much they’re worth on the black market?”

She looked away.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Togrutas always wear headdresses. It’s part of our tradition. I might not look like it, but I like to stick to my peoples’ traditions.”

She hated herself for having left behindthe piece of clothing she wore on her belt that was traditional Togruta embroidery. Padme had taken it though, as souvenir probably. She also hated herself for having forgotten about the Akul teeth. Every Togruta had a different headdress. It wasn’t like her face markings that showed which clan on Shili she was from – her parents for instance had the same markings – and it was too recognizable. Everyone knew Ahsoka Tano wore Akul teeth on her forehead.

“Well, how about I find you a new headdress or whatever you guys call it and in exchange you give me this one. Any preferences?”

“No, as long as it’s rather simple and doesn’t look like this one.”

Max nodded again, and then outstretched his left hand.

“Then we’ve got a deal.”

She shook his hand. He tended to the fire before reaching out behind him and pulling out two blankets. He threw one at Ahsoka.

“The nights can be pretty cold out here.”

She nodded and started lying on the ground, putting her bag under her head to serve as a pillow. She turned to face Max and decided she’d sleep while facing him, just in case he tried something stupid. He was lying on his back while she was on her right side.

“Goodnight Fulcrum.”

“Goodnight Max.”

He closed his eyes and after a minute or so, started snoring. Ahsoka couldn’t believe he was asleep so fast in such a wild environment next to an almost complete stranger. The only times she fell asleep fast were when she was exhausted after a battle. When she was on missions, she always slept well, as if her body had learned by itself to take as much sleep as she could in stressful situations to function better the next day. But during calm nights, like nights she spent at the temple, she always had trouble sleeping. Just like Barriss said, she just couldn’t enjoy peace while it lasted. She shook her head, trying not to think about the Mirialan. She was tempted to bring out the hologram displayer but she didn’t want to wake Max up with her crying. But she drifted to sleep minutes later, her first day on her own finally coming to an end.


	4. Myrkr - Part 3 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / one day after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka woke up to the sounds of the birds in the jungle. Those beautiful songs made her smile and she sat up and stretched out her limbs. Pushing the blanket aside, she checked her leg and it looked better: it actually didn’t hurt that much anymore. She quietly got up and tested her leg. Yep, she could walk.

She took her bag and started gathering some fruit that she found in the jungle and after a good half hour she came back, her leg starting to hurt. Max was still sleeping when she came back to the cavern. The fire had long been extinguished and she sat down again. Max’s snoring was very loud, she wondered how in the universe he didn’t wake her up with these loud noises, and he slept in the weirdest position she had ever seen.When she didn’t move almost at all while she slept, it was the opposite for Max. His left arm was bent above his head, the other one was spread across the floor and his legs took as much place as Jaba the Hutt himself. A little string of drool escaped his mouth but didn’t wet his entire face. It just stayed at the corner of his mouth and Ahsoka didn’t know if that was actually better or worse.

Once she had peeled all the fruits, she tried to wake Max up but it was like talking to a wall: she got no answer whatsoever. No matter how she yelled his name, shook him or pushed his legs around, he kept on sleeping like a rock. For a moment, she was tempted to take his car and drive off, but she wasn’t cruel. It would take him a whole day to reach the town by foot and after all, he had saved her. As for their deal, she didn’t really bother giving him the Akul teeth: she had planned on changing her headdress anyway. Growing impatient, Ahsoka did the last thing she could possibly do: she slapped Max hard on the cheek.

He woke with a start and sat up in a hurry.

“Wha… what happened?”

He didn’t seem to notice the red burning mark Ahsoka’s hand left on his face nor the pain that probably came with it. Ahsoka just shrugged before sitting at her place again.

“Nothing. You were just drooling.”

Max’s embarrassment colored his cheeks and he quickly wiped his mouth. They ate the fruit and got into the car without exchanging any other word than Ahsoka saying a soft “ _thank you_ ” while giving him the blanket back. This time around though, she climbed shotgun and let Max drive to the town she had come from. The young man told her it would take a little less than three hours to get there with the weight of the crates.

“What’s in them?” She asked as the soft noise of the engines wasn’t forcing her to yell like other cars usually did.

“You’ll see!” He said with a wink. “I’ll make you another deal. You help me discharge those crates once we arrive and I treat you to lunch.”

She clasped his outstretched hand to seal their deal. They arrived in town in the time Max had guessed and stopped in a small corner of the spaceport. A small ship was waiting there and it was actually the only one present. Her name was _Stellar Reef_ but Max basically just called her _Stella_. Ahsoka left the car and helped Max load the crates like promised.

“That’s heavy! What in the universe did you put in them?” she said as they were finished and she was wiping the sweat from her brow.

He took off the lid of one of the crates; it contained black rocks of different sizes and forms. They seemed to be covered in silver dust but by looking closely Ahsoka realized these minuscule particles were actually part of the rock’s mineral structure.

“These rocks can only be found here, on Myrkr. They’re pricey for their unique capacity to fool scanners and all sorts of detectors.”

“So you’re a smuggler!” Ahsoka said as she crossed her arms on her chest.

“I’d rather call myself dealer of rare items but you get the picture.”

He closed the lid and motioned for her to exit the small ship. The ramp closed and they left the spaceport in the direction of a dinner Max knew very well. Once they found a table, they sat down, Ahsoka next to the wall and Max near the alley.

“So where do you plan to smuggle them?” Ahsoka said to make small talk until their dishes arrived.

She was also curious and her instincts yelled her to be careful. She already had some suspicions, after all who camouflages a car in the middle of the jungle and comes prepared for days in the wild? Now that she knew Max was a smuggler, she felt she had to be even more cautious. She wasn’t a big fan of those guys. Of course, she knew some of them who weren’t that bad, Hondo Onaka for instance had his good days and could be helpful, but usually she didn’t trust them. Their moods relied too much on profit and they were ready to commit any crime to get that profit. Max must have read her thoughts or maybe her threatening stare gave her away, probably her entire body language, because he laughed as he was putting his right arm on the back of his chair, slightly pushing it off balance as if to have a bit of fun while waiting.

“You see me as a threat now, don’t you? You think I’m a bad guy.”

She didn’t say a word, just kept looking at him.

“Well, I guess you’re partly right, I do deal in illegal stuff to survive. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to kill innocent people or kill at all. Don’t take everyone for generalities.” She was about to reply but he cut her short. “I’m going to sell them on Nar Shaddaa.”

“The smuggler’s moon. I should have known.”Ahsoka sighed and pressed her back against the wall while looking away.

“It’s actually not such a bad place when you know which places to go and who to talk to. There a whole district where people are actually nice and you can find some decent food, supplies and even rent a room!”

“Yeah, still not my favorite place in the galaxy.”

“You’ve already been there?”

She nodded and he was about to ask how when a waiter brought their dishes and Max paid right away so he wouldn’t have to do it later. Ahsoka asked him how much she owed him for the food but he said it was his pleasure and refused to take a single credit from her. She dug in and so did he. They started talking about food and completely random things until she thought he wouldn’t bring the Nar Shaddaa subject back, but unfortunately he did.

“I can’t believe you’ve already been there, Fulcrum.”

She winced at the sound of the name but slapped herself mentally: she’d have to get used to it if she was to stay hidden and away from her former life.

“I mean, it’s not a common place to go to unless you’re into that kind of business.”

“Well, I’ve been there with my ma… mentor. We were looking for his friend and didn’t stay long. It was long enough for me to realize that things are way different there though.”

A moment of silence came between them and only forks and knives on plates could be heard but Max quickly broke that moment of peace.

“So, what are you going to do next? How do you plan on starting that new life of yours?”

“I think I’ll try a few different jobs to see what I like most.”

“You know what you’re good at? I mean, you look pretty young. Pretty _and_ young actually.”

He said that with a smirk as if he didn’t believe she could have any kind of skill, but somehow, Ahsoka didn’t feel insulted. She even slightly blushed and took a sip of water before the redness spread on the integrity of her orange face.

“I’m sixteen, thank you very much.”

“I didn’t mean that as an insult, I’m nineteen myself. See, we’re almost the same age!”

She took a moment to think how to answer his previous question.

“Well, I’m good at repairing ships and droids and I’m a great pilot, so I guess I could work at a spaceport or any big city that daily deals with ships.”

“Really? Then you should come to Nar Shaddaa! We’re actually lacking a truly good repairer. Well, one that has affordable prices anyway. But I guess you wouldn’t want to meddle with scum and all sorts of other criminals and smugglers.”

Max shrugged at his own comment and Ahsoka thought about going to Nar Shaddaa. If what Max told her was true, she could actually live there and the Jedi would never find her there nor even think to look for her there for that matter. And she had experience dealing with scum and criminals, she wasn’t afraid for her safety. But she was afraid she’d actually find her place there and become one of them. One of the people that she, as a Jedi, swore to fight and bring to justice. She didn’t want to become a troublemaker or even help them. But maybe by being there, she could change things out. Maybe she could bring some justice to that kind of place once she became one of them?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She should find a legal job, not reach so low as to become a criminal although she already technically had some criminal acts to her record.

“Well first, I’ve got to see a friend. I need him to do me a favor. Only then will I look for a job.”

Max then proposed to give her a ride and she unwillingly agreed. She wasn’t planning on being even more indebted to the young smuggler even though he didn’t mention the Akul teeth again as if the matter was closed, but she had no choice if she wanted to leave Myrkr that day. A ship only landed there every week and she just couldn’t see herself staying in this town or jungle for six other days before being able to leave. Max didn’t mind taking her to the planet where her friend lived since it was on his way to Nar Shaddaa. He was surprised though when she told him about her friend, after all, not everyone had a Wookiee for a friend.


	5. Kashyyyk (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / one day after leaving the Jedi Order_

The spaceport of Kashyyyk was huge and Max didn’t know where to land at first until some guy in a white suit, with a matching helmet and light signals showed him an empty place. Unlike on Myrkr and probably unlike Nar Shaddaa, Max had to pay to stay but since he was simply dropping Ahsoka off, he didn’t pay anything.

“Thanks for the ride, Max.” Ahsoka said as she picked up her bag and shoved it over her shoulder before starting to walk in the direction of the central building of the port.

“Always a pleasure. I hope we’ll see each other again, Fulcrum.”

She kept on walking but looked for something in the back pocket she carried on her belt.

“I can’t tell yet if it’s mutual, Jawa-tooka. But here’s for you!”

She quickly threw something at him and walked away again, waving him goodbye. “Go buy some fuel with that instead of booze.”

Max frowned at his newly acquired nicknamed and promised himself to ask Fulcrum about it the next time he saw her. He just had a feeling they would meet again. He then opened his hand and realized she had thrown him a golden credit. Probably for the ride, or maybe lunch. Or both. He was about to thank her but she was already gone. Laughing to himself and rolling his eyes, he climbed back in the _Stella_ and took off for Nar Shaddaa.

* * *

 

Ahsoka asked the first Wookie where she could find Chewbacca and if he actually was on the planet. Luckily, the native language of these hairy beasts was known to her; she could maybe not speak but at least understand a few different languages which always came in handy as a Jedi. It would probably help her even more now. The Wookie showed her the place on a map and the Togruta thanked him for his kindness before leaving the spaceport which was huge. Kashyyyk was known for being an excellent place for trade and the Wookies were masters in technology, woodcraft and piloting.

She made her way out of the giant spaceport that was buzzing with people and ships. It seemed that every race was present to trade and exchange. She could start by looking for a job there, she was pretty sure she’d find something that has to do with repairs or piloting or even both. She was only hoping she wouldn’t have to explain where her skills came from because simply saying ‘ _I learned from the best_ ’ would definitely raise questions.

Ahsoka had no idea how the Wookie society was organized. She knew they had a chief, she had actually been honored to meet him back when Chewbacca and she were rescued from those Trendoshans. Apart from that, she knew nothing about their culture. Sure, she knew they lived in giant trees and travelled in some weird balloons, one of them she just boarded, but this was the kind of knowledge everyone knew or at least should. Of course, Gungi, one of the younglings from the Gathering, had told her a few things about his native planet but their mission had been somewhat disturbed by Hondo and his pirates so she didn’t learn more.

As she was getting closer to the tree the Wookie at the spaceport had shown her, she wondered how the younglings reacted to all the events that led to her departure. She could guess they were sad, but from what she had heard from Anakin, that group of younglings she had accompanied to Ilum and protected from Hondo had actually witnessed part of her former Master’s and Barriss’s duel at the Temple. She could imagine what a choc that sight must have been for them. She actually got attached to them, those six in particular. Probably because she had shared with them more adventures than any other group of younglings although she had given some lessons to other pupils.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize they had arrived and it’s thanks to one of the Wookies behind her that she knew it was time to get out of the balloon. She was glad the Wookies were so friendly, even those who didn’t knew her. With any other specie she would have had trouble simply walking around their planet now that she had lost the Jedi special clearance that allowed almost any kind of travelling. She didn’t regret it, she was just sad when she thought about it because it reminded her of the one time she had used her status to smuggle Padme off Coruscant and to Raxus. That’s where she had actually met Lux. It was only six good months ago but she felt like she knew the young Senator forever, especially since all their adventures on both Carlac and Onderon.

Clearing her head, she made her way to the edge of the huge wooden plateform where some Wookies were casually talking. She quickly threw a glance over the edge and realized that, even though that wasn’t the top of the tree, it was still very high. Luckily, she wasn’t afraid of heights. She found Chewbacca in the middle of the small group, talking to another Wookie that had more black fur than brown, which was rare among the inhabitants of Kashyyyk. When Chewbacca saw her, he immediately came to hug her and for a brief moment she just couldn’t breathe and felt as if her ribs were being crushed inside her chest. After fading his bear hug, the Wookie told her he was really pleased to see her.

“I’m glad to see you too, big guy. Unfortunately, it’s not in the best of situations…” she said as she lowered her head and rubbed her arms.

Chewbacca realized at that moment that she wasn’t wearing her usual outfit or her lightsabers and asked her what was wrong. He really seemed to be concerned and that moved her, bringing back her smile.

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But I need you to do me a favor.”

* * *

 

It took Chewbacca three days to make what she had asked. He didn’t bother at all doing her that favor, was even happy to be of any service and to have something to do. Ahsoka knew Wookies took very seriously matters when they owed people but she wasn’t expecting her friend to show such devotion. During those three days, she mostly wondered around on the planet, taking in the beautiful scenery and landscape of the huge forests. She actually felt at peace there, she felt like she could live on Kashyyyk, at least for a while. She still had no idea where she would go but she was getting closer to knowing what she wanted to do.

The third day Chewbacca was working on her request, she made her way to the spaceport and asked people around, looking for job opportunities. She had only covered one tenth of the spaceport and had gotten no positive results because most of the people there were traders that already had very specific teams and deals they weren’t ready to change to let someone in. She didn’t give up, after all, the spaceport was huge and there were hundreds of people circulating every day. And even if she found nothing on Kashyyyk, there were hundreds of other planets out there for a Togruta to find a job. Worst case scenario, there was Nar Shaddaa but Ahsoka didn’t want to think about that.

As she was making her way towards one of the upper hangars where she hadn’t been yet, someone rammed into her and she fell on her bottom. The man winced and fell too, he was an older human of roughly forty years old with dark hair turning grey and bright green piercing eyes. A small scar adorned his chin on the right side and he was wearing the uniform of a Corellian trade company, probably pretty small or new because Ahsoka had never heard of it.

“Kriff!” the man cursed as he was bringing his hand to his head. That’s when he noticed who he had actually walked into. “I’m so sorry, forgive my clumsiness.”

He quickly got up and brushed the dust off his uniform before reaching out to Ahsoka to help her up.

“Not to worry, these things happen.”

“Well, they seem to happen to me a lot lately! Since that damn pilot decided to desert us before a very important delivery!”

He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Ahsoka but the Togruta couldn’t help but listen and burst in.

“Excuse me Sir, are you looking for a pilot?”

The man looked back at her, eying her carefully. He wasn’t very tall, just a few inches taller than her actually which was a first since Ahsoka was only sixteen and most people looked at her from above. The man picked up the clipboard that had fallen from his hands moments ago.

“If you would happen to know a good pilot who’s not afraid to take risks to protect a ship full of cargo and who can actually shoot straight and hit his target, then I’m all ears, young lady.”

Ahsoka smiled, revealing a little bit of her pointed white teeth.

“I consider myself as a very good pilot and mechanic, Sir. And I’ve been roaming this spaceport since this morning, looking for a job.”

He looked her up and down as if he couldn’t believe such a young and fragile creature would be capable of piloting a ship.

“I hope you’re not making fun of me, young lady. Would you be ready for a fly test, so that I could judge if you truly are as talented as you imply you are?”

“Sure! Whenever you want!”

“Unfortunately, we haven’t brought on Kashyyyk the model you’d be piloting, since coming here is not as dangerous as the Corellian trade spin has become with all those Separatists raiding our ships. We’re departing for Corellia tomorrow, will you join us?”

“That’s perfect, Sir. I’ll be there.”

They exchanged their names and he got the usual Fulcrum that she had adopted while she learned his name was captain Bulack. He then told her the hangar they’d be leaving from and the hour and they left on a handshake. Ahsoka couldn’t stop smiling until she reached Chewbacca.

“I think I might have found a job, Chewbacca! Unfortunately, it’s not here on Kashyyk.”

The Wookie seemed somewhat disappointed by her news but quickly got over it and was just happy for his friend. Then he asked her to come closer and showed her what he had been working on for three days. Her request was finally finished. Amazed, she picked up the two gloves he had made for her and tried them on. She had just asked him for a transmitter, but not just any kind of transmitter, one that could at the same time serve as a comlink on a private channel but also that could allow her to tune in on more important and galactic ones. She had also wanted a feature that would display a hologram of a hooded figure and change her voice. She couldn’t just project herself with a hood, her montrals and how they extended any hood would be a problem so she had asked for a simple hologram. And of course, all of that would have to be untraceable.

But Chewbacca had done much more than just what she had asked. The day before he had asked her to try one some grey gloves that let her fingers free but covered her whole hand, forearm and rose almost to her shoulders. The finishing touches were gorgeous and practical and the material was at the same time comfortable and of very good and strong quality. Even as a Padawan her gloves weren’t that refined. And the best part: they fitted her perfectly.

On the gloves, Chewbacca had fixed two large oval pieces of metal, in light grey and red tones and three buttons could be found on each glove, in the same disposition than the kind of comlinks she used to have. Except the two smaller buttons were yellow and the bigger one was orange. He had even put some metal on the back of her hand to protect it without hindering her movements. He then explained to her that the left arm functioned like a normal comlink and he even showed her how to access some important channel. The right arm was for the hologram and voice alterer. He even had prepared a mechanism that would fry all the circuits in case she didn’t want it to fall into someone else’s hands.

She thanked him for three whole minutes, saying that it was perfect and that she couldn’t have found better and the Wookie almost blushed. She then isolated herself to try it out and contacted one of the few people she knew the number by heart, just in case. Her heart was racing and she looked at the comlink in anticipation as it was making contact. She didn’t see any hologram just as expected. After all, she was using a completely new and untraceable number of communicator; the person she called had no idea who was calling with this mysterious and probably dangerous number. But a voice came nonetheless. It sounded irritated and a bit angry. Ahsoka could also hear a hint of exhaustion and worry hidden deep in that voice.

“This is Senator Bonteri. Who is it?”

Ahsoka gulped, suddenly at a loss for words.

“It’s…

She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. Not to Lux. But she didn’t want to reveal herself either. But what truly stopped her? Her comlink was untraceable and her voice was altered by her new device. She had actually nothing to fear and was pretty sure Lux would be happy to know she was fine. The news of her trial had reached him and even probably her departure by now, even though he was on Onderon.

“It’s Ahs…

“If this is a joke, it’s not funny! Who do you think you are wasting the time of?” Bonteri almost yelled.

Ahsoka couldn’t take it. She ended the conversation and brought her hand to her mouth to cover it since it was wide open. She forced herself not to cry. She knew Lux wasn’t angry at her since he had no idea who that was. But she realized she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet and she hoped she’d be soon because just hearing his voice had made her want to look out for him even more.


	6. Corellia (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / four days after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka came into the landing bay where Bulack was already waiting for her, even if it was quite early in the morning. Only four days had passed since she left the Order, so she didn’t lose the habit of waking up early. At the Temple, she was always on time for assignments, missions, training sessions or meetings, unlike Anakin who often happened to be late. Luckily, she wasn’t always following his example.

Bulack seemed a bit surprised for two reasons that he revealed to her once she was in earshot. That he wasn’t sure she’d be there on time and was pleased to see she was taking this fly test seriously. And second, he didn’t think her pilot outfit would fit her so well. He had given her the outfit the day before and it was mostly white and grey with some touches of light yellow on the shoulders and elbows. And of course, it possessed the logo of the _Corellian Star Jump Transport Corporation_ – which was a shooting star followed by a cluster of smaller golden stars – more commonly referred to as the _CSJTC_ or simply _Star Jump_. Ahsoka preferred the latter and used it when she realized Bulack was using it too. As she came to him, he handed her a helmet that was also white but had some golden stars painted on the edges. There were also two holes on top.

“This will be your helmet. I had the holes made for your… horns?”

“Montrals,” Ahsoka corrected with a smile and tried the helmet on. It was a little too big, but it would do and her montrals weren’t all squeezed up like she feared they would.

“So, this isyour fighter for the fly test,” Bulack said as he walked to the side to let her see the ship behind him.

“Looks like a Jedi fighter,” Ahsoka said as she leaned in closer, taking a good look at the fighter, checking everything with her eyes, both above and under the ship. “But not quite. It seems to have the same kind of weaponry as the _Delta-7_ but the shape makes me think of an _N-1 Starfighter_ from Naboo with the curves but there are some aesthetic and style details that are lacking for it to be truly from Naboo.”

She then got to her knees and with one hand pressed on the shining metal sheets, she took a closer look at the engines then frowned.

“I’ve never seen engines like that before! These would have to be powered by a double circuit panel otherwise they’ll never ignite. And all the power cells that must be required to function the ventilation… wait, is that a 3-level cooling system? Amazing!”

Bulack’s smile spread wide on his old grizzled face and he crossed his arms.

“It’s actually a mix of both and we added some new steering systems, well they were new last year, now it’s only common knowledge. We call it the _C-21 Starfighter_. Well, I had some doubts about your skills when we met yesterday, but from what you just said, you must truly know your fighters and mechanics! May I ask where did you get that kind of experience?”

She rose up and brushed her white pants.

“Sorry Sir, I can’t answer that question unless I get the job. My past is not something I like to talk about openly.”

Bulack nodded and waved for her to get in.

“Off you go then! I’ll watch your performance from the edge of the platform so don’t you run away into the clouds!”

She laughed a little. Even if she wanted to steal this fighter, she’d have to disable the locator beam and she couldn’t possibly do that in flight. She looked at the fighter, it was a true beauty and reminded her of everything she had left behind but at the same time it also gave her a new wind of freshness. She let her hand slide on the smooth metal then climbed aboard. A droid was already in the right place, the same round kind as R2D2 but that one was mostly grey and green. She jumped into the seat and started pressing the buttons to ignite the engines, while checking the movements of the wings, the clean cooling system and the guns that turned to her slightest command as if the ship was brand new. It didn’t seem all new, but it sure hadn’t been used a lot and people had definitely taken good care of it.

“Alright, R6P4 is it? Let’s get this bird flying!”

The droid beeped and Ahsoka smiled, understanding its language. She tried to put her thoughts about R2 or R7 to the back of her head, she had to prove her worth right now and nothing else.

She hadn’t been on Corellia before but she knew what kind of place it was. The pilots, either clones or others, always talked about it. After all, Corellia was supposed to be one of the best planets when it came to top pilots and building giant ships like the Republican cruisers. There were hundreds of landing bays, spaceports and building factories but all were on orbit which left the planet itself untouched and beautiful, allowing people to live in peace with nature if they wanted to. There were some cities, but people usually lived in Coronet City and dozens of shuttles came and went between all the spaceports every few minutes. Corellia definitely seemed like a busy place, whether during the day or the night.

Once she was cleared for takeoff, Ahsoka ignited the engines and almost moaned in pleasure at the loud and powerful roars. That fighter was definitely something! She then heard the voice of the captain in her helmet.

“Show me what you can do Fulcrum!”

“You got it Sir!”

The fighter rose a few feet from the ground and burst through the open doors of the landing bay. Once she was out, Ahsoka watched the landscape. She was still in the atmosphere and she could make out the city below on the planet. She also saw different landing bays and factories near the clouds, but none was close enough to make her feel worried about potential other ships. It seemed that the landing bay where was Bulack was specially made for fly tests and it was even better. The less she worried, the more she could focus on the flying.

“R6, push the engines to the highest level, I want to see what our beauty here is capable of.”

Just as she said that she started pirouetting in the air, diving and rising as fast as she could, pushing the fighter to its limits. It didn’t seem to have limits though. It was faster that the _N-1_ from Naboo but it also seemed to have more power than the _Delta-7_ , she could guess that from the noise the engines were making. She swirled around the landing bay, tracing two or three circles around it and her droid beeped loudly, sounding impressed. After that, she mostly sticked to the front of the landing bay, where Bulack could see her clearly and did some of the crazy looping Anakin was used to do. But, as always, she perfected his technique. Her former Master was one kriff of a pilot but he seemed to lack the sense of danger that often came when he was doing too much. Her flying was as crazy as his, but she never tried to modify the ship like he always did.

After a particularly daring spin that would have made her droid throw up if it could, she screamed of joy and threw her left fist in the air. She hadn’t felt so alive and free in ages! Bulack’s voice echoed in her helmet soon after that.

“Alright Fulcrum, I see you can fly. Now let’s see if you can shoot.” Three vulture droids shot in the sky at that moments and passed in front of her, each one going in a different direction. “All you have to do is sh…”

He didn’t finish as the first droids was blown to pieces. The canons in the fighter were as powerful as she had predicted and the green blasts quickly caught the second vulture droid. The third one seemed to have been programmed to be more difficult to shoot because it kept doing an evasive maneuver just like the kind she had been taught with the clones. But just like the others, it didn’t resist her and was also destroyed.

“Captain, we’re coming home.”

Ahsoka landed the fighter at the same place where she had taken off and the glass rose, allowing her to step out once she killed the engines and let the cooling system take over. Captain Bulack came to her but his men reached her first and one of them started shaking her shoulders.

“That was amazing! I’ve never seen someone fly like that! You’ll be called Crazy Ful from now on!”

Another one was jumping up and down next to her, they were both wearing the same uniforms as hers and were cheering as if she had won the Tatooine pod race. One of them was a human, the other was a Zabrak with light red skin. Bulack clasped and reached her as she was taking her helmet off.

“Mostly impressive. Why don’t you come with me to my office so we can discuss the terms of your contract?”

She nodded, gave her helmet to the guy shaking her earlier and followed Bulack. They took a shuttle to the spaceport where his company was based and entered his office. She immediately saw it was very organized and clean, just like Bulack himself liked to keep things clear and simple. Bulack sat in the chair behind the desk and invited Ahsoka to sit in the one in front of him. Then he pulled out a pad that looked like a file ready to be filled and started filling in the blanks with an electromagnetic pen for a couple of seconds before turning his attention to Ahsoka.

“The job I am about to offer you would be to pilot the fighter you just tested and protect my cargo ships that has to deliver on different planets of the Corellian Trade Spine. Unfortunately, such precautions are necessary because of the increasing raids the Separatists have been performing on this trade route. The other companies are not so keen to invest in very skilled pilots so they use this route less and less frequently. Which only gives more profit to pick for my company.”

Ahsoka was listening carefully and sitting straight, her feet both down, her hands on her knees.

“Your pay would be a hundred credits per month and your tasks would mainly consist of defending the cargo ships and taking care of your fighter, making repairs if necessary. I might ask you to command a squad of two other fighters when some important cargo will be involved but otherwise, it will be solo missions. Do you think you are up to it?”

“Yes, Sir. It’s all fine by me, but I have to ask how long this contract will be active.”

“Why do you need to know that? Do you already plan on leaving us so soon?”

“No, Sir, it’s just that I would like to try a couple different jobs before setting down and, to tell you the truth, I’ve never imagined being a pilot for the rest of my life on Corellia, even for such a pay.”

“How old are you anyway?”

“Sixteen Sir. But I’ve been through quite a lot.”

“Yes, that’s what I have seemed to understand. I wanted to ask you, where did you learn to fly and shoot like that? I don’t suppose it’s a common tradition among peaceful colonists like Togrutas, am I right?”

Ahsoka smiled nervously and looked away for a brief second before looking Bulack straight in the eye.

“A friend of mine was the best pilot I ever knew. He taught me most of my skills. And he was very good with mechanics.”

Captain Bulack seemed satisfied with that answer because he simply nodded.

“Did he teach you how to shoot as well?”

Ahsoka nodded, her throat gripped with emotion as she thought about Anakin and his reckless flying, about all the times she had saved his skin and he had saved hers, about all those moments they shared, the good as well as the bad, the times they had laughed, the times had argued, the times she missed and the times that were just good. Yeah, good old times…

She hadn’t noticed he had resumed writing and once he was done, he pushed the contract towards her. She grabbed the pen, signed and handed him back the pad. After that, they discussed the details of her stay, such as the quarters she’ll have on the perimeter of the company and a second uniform and some equipment. The contract was valid for three months and if by the end of it she’d want to work more for him, Bulack would be happy to oblige.


	7. Devaron (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / eleven days after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka had started working the next day. Her first mission had been to escort a cargo full of power cells, levers and buttons, pretty much everything that served to make a control panel in a ship, to Kelada, where they mostly created speeders but they needed new materials to repairs their ships. She had been alone on that one and the journey was so fast and she didn’t encounter any problems so she was back on Corellia before night fall. Since that day, she had learned that _Star Jump_ wasn’t a trading company like she thought, but a transport company that simply transported goods on the Corellian Trade Spine. Kaal, Terminus and Bespin were also the places where most of their missions took place but Ahsoka hadn’t been there yet. Half of the shipments came from Corellia itself and were mostly technological or mechanical stuff, but the other half consisted of actually exterior contracts.

Like the one she was assigned to once her first week as a pilot was over. She had already done six or seven missions throughout the week, so she got used to the fighter, her new droid companion and the different tunnels through hyperspace although the farthest she had gone had been Kinyen. This time, she was in the company of the two charming gentlemen that had gotten so excited about her flying. Well, charming gentlemen was maybe a bit strong…

“Hey, Crazy Ful!” Ahsoka heard Sax’s voice in her helmet.

She tried to ignore the voice of the twenty-six years old Zabrak but it was useless: once Sax started talking with his ‘ _I have an idea and it’s going to be great_ ’ tone, there was no escaping it. Especially since she was stuck in her fighter, he was stuck in his and she just couldn’t turn off her comlink. Bulack had given her a brand new one just for the job and she attached it on her left arm, above her white glove. She had to stick with the uniform, she couldn’t wear her grey gloves and comlink although she had them inside her quarters back on Corellia.

“What is it, Sax? You just realized you’re afraid of space?”

Ahsoka heard Geronimo laugh. He was the second pilot, a human of about twenty-four years old from Corellia. Sax was always easy going and reacted to pretty much everything with a single shrug of the shoulders. Geronimo was more shy and serious, but he also gave his trust less easily. Whereas Sax had accepted her right away, Geronimo needed a couple of days to accept the fact that she, a complete stranger, way younger that the two pilots and a non-human female at that, was going to lead them on their current mission. But eventually he came to terms with it, especially since she wasn’t taking any advantage from her leading position and wasn’t bragging about it the whole day like Sax would have done.

“Or do you miss you mommy?” she added.

She knew how to handle the two pilots by now and stupid jokes and poking fun at each other was part of the flying, almost like a ritual. She liked them and got along with them easily, nonetheless, it had taken her some time to get used to their freedom and their way of thinking that wasn’t bound by the laws or philosophy of a certain Order. Especially when it came to dating. It was actually one of the rare subjects on which the two pilots agreed and Ahsoka often found herself blushing at their daring talk and suggestions, especially after missions when they came back to the landing bay on Corellia and simply wanted to get laid. Geronimo was very picky but liked it simple: a simple bar, a girl not too hard to get and just enough fun for the night but not too much. Sax was the opposite: the more challenge, the more determined he felt, he also tried every dating strategy that existed in the galaxy, being often ridiculous and he just didn’t know when to stop.

“I just wanted to ask who’s going to pay a round at the local bar once we come back to Corellia. It shouldn’t take us too long today.”

Geronimo broke his enthusiasm. “Do you even remember what the boss said? Were you listening at all?”

“Nope. I was watching the beautiful lady that was passing through the bay. You know I’m a sucker for women with tentacles and that Chagrian was just…”

“You know Sax that in most cultures, these _‘tentacles’_ are called lekku?” Ahsoka reminded him.

But the Zabrak simply shrugged in his fighter and kept on talking about how beautiful Twi’leks were. Ahsoka didn’t have trouble focusing on her task while joking around. After all, she was already doing that with Anakin and all their silly contests. She smiled when she remembered what a sore loser he was.

“But Notolans are the best! They literally have dozens of those things on their head!”

It was Ahsoka’s turn to sigh. “You should write a poem about lekku then, Mister the Poet!”

“He can’t possibly read his own pay each month so how do you expect him to write?” Geronimo teased.

Sax was about to reply, but Ahsoka cut him short.

“Okay, enough with the lady talk, guys.” She had been using that qualification because pretty much every single conversation in flight ended up on the topic of women. “Just as a reminder, Sax, the boss gave us a double mission. First, we have to deliver those medical supplies to Devaron, then we leave the next day for Kriselist with food, mostly exotic fruit and vegetables. So to answer your question, if you want to drink tonight, you’ll have to be the one to pay, because I’m not going to be responsible for delaying our client if you get a hangover.”

“Roger that. It’s daddy Sax who pays tonight!”

Geronimo seemed particularly delighted at the idea. Ahsoka then focused on the flight. It wasn’t very hard, they had left the hyperspace moments ago and were slowly approaching Devaron. Ahsoka had never been there and she didn’t know any Devaronian actually. Sax and Geronimo seemed to know the place very well, from what Bulack had told her, they’ve been working for _Star Jump_ for at least three years. There used to be another pilot but he had abandoned ship after a very close call with a frigate of clankers, not willing to risk his skin for a hundred credits per month.

Ahsoka could relate, but she had never been tempted to leave the battlefield. In fact, she was even attracted to it, she loved the adrenaline of a good fight, but the Jedi teachings had taught her to only attack when necessary, which had seriously calmed her ardor as a youngling. But never her spirit and she had just burst when she became Anakin’s Padawan on Christophsis. Since then, her Master’s teachings had mostly led her to react very quickly, maybe too aggressively at times. She just knew her place was out there, in the middle of a fight and not safely at home. She couldn’t picture herself for instance as a mother with two kids patiently waiting for her husband.

But her latest trials had made her wish for peace. She wanted to be out for a while, not out of the battlefield and out of the fight, out of the action, but she wanted to try something different. Something new. Something she had never done before. She wanted to see the world, to experience incredible things, to meet new people and to figure things out. She was sure she could find some action anywhere and knowing her luck so far, it would find her sooner or later without her even trying.

But Sax broke her train of thoughts again.

“Hey Gero! How do you unlock doors on Kashyyyk?”

“Here we go again…” sighed Ahsoka.

She seriously didn’t know what was worst: the lady talk or the jokes. Sax seemed to know them all by heart and he was always managing to surprise Ahsoka. Geronimo seemed to already know a lot of them, but Sax always found something new.

“I don’t know, dude.”

“With a woo-key!”

This time, Ahsoka smiled and Geronimo burst out laughing. But Sax was the one that almost made them all go deaf with his loud laughter. He laughed every single time as if he never grew tired of his own weird sense of humor.

Soon after that, they entered Devaron’s atmosphere and got serious again. They hadn’t encountered any Separatist on the way, which was a change from the previous days, both for Ahsoka and the boys. They landed in the capital and each climbed out of their fighter, then gathered in front of the cargo ship, their helmets under their arms. Sax had light red skin and only few black markings but his horns couldn’t be missed. Geronimo on the other hand, looked just like the regular human from Corellia, except for a wide scar that ran from behind his ear to the bottom of his jaw, enlightening the right side of his face. Ahsoka checked in with the droid that had piloted the ship, then greeted the client and after some good fifteen minutes, they were free to go, the cargo was being picked up by the client.

The Zabrak and Corellian started walking ahead and Sax elbowed Geronimo as he continued with his jokes.

“Hey Gero, do you know how many Corellians does it take to change a glowpanel? None, because if the room’s dark, you can’t see them cheating at Sabacc!”

“That’s not funny, man. We don’t cheat at Sabacc!”

“Yeah right, keep telling yourself that.”

Ahsoka joined them and the Zabrak let her through to put both his arms on the shoulders of his companions. They had deposited the helmets in the fighters, also leaving the droids there.

“So, how about those drinks? I promise, we’ll be reasonable.”

Geronimo had already agreed and he looked hopefully at Ahsoka. Every time he looked at her, he was puzzled. She seemed so young. He could deduce she was probably around seventeen or sixteen years old from the length of her lekku, or ‘ _tentacles’_ as Sax put it, but he was always impressed with her respectful behavior and this aura of wisdom and strength that floated around her. Her face was young but her eyes seemed tired and were branded with things he didn’t expect to see in someone so young. She had been through a lot and she was hiding her past, actually she had never talked about it, except to Bulack during the signing of the contract and even then Geronimo was sure she hadn’t revealed much to the old geezer. He didn’t want to push it, but he was quite curious to know where she had learned to fly like that.

She surprised him when she agreed to the drinks because she was always so serious and even seemed shy or incapable of having fun at times.

“Alright, let’s do it. But only one drink.”

“One drink,” Sax repeated and let go of them, even putting a hand on his chest to prove his good faith. “Let’s just ask the locals where’s the nearest bar.”

Ahsoka was glad Sax wasn’t hitting on her. She had feared he might since he was such a ladies’ man and had a thing for ‘ _tentacles’_ , but he seemed to have one golden rule: never try anything with minors. And she appreciated that. As for Geronimo, from the beginning he considered her out of his reach.

She looked around to search for a bar as they left the spaceport after arranging their ships’ stay with the manager of the place, paying in advance and agreeing to leave the next day before ten. Their client was supposed to meet them at eight in the landing bay, the same where their fighters and cargo ship already were, so that should be more than enough time just to pick up the cargo, especially since it was simply fruit and vegetables.

“Too bad, we’re not going to Kaal! Now that’s a planet where people know how to have fun!” Sax said as he stopped at the crossroad outside the spaceport. He looked around, placing his hand on his light red forehead.

A kid suddenly rammed into him, followed by four others. They were all Devaronian and all boys with their little horns piercing out and already reaching some good five centimeters. The one that had pushed Sax had a green skin and short dark green hair. The Zabrak looked at him but another child talked first.

“See? You don’t even look where you’re going, Vizago! How do you expect to be a trader or whatever you told us you’d be?”

The kid who spoke had bright orange skin just like Ahsoka and he was taller than the poor boy that ran into Sax. But the kid named Vizago didn’t seem any bit intimidated even though he was smaller and therefore weaker.

“Sorry, Sir,” he quickly said to Sax before turning to the other Devaronian kid. “Shut up, Drasko. Someday I’ll make more money than you could ever dream of!”

“Yeah, we all know you’d sell your mama to Jawas for a couple of credits!”

“Don’t you dare talk about my mama like that!”

He was about to jump on the other kid but Sax caught him by the arm. The other kids ran away, sticking their tongues out and laughing loudly. Once they were out of sight, Sax let go of the Devaronian boy and the latter didn’t even seem angry that he had been stopped. He swallowed his pride and was about to run off too but Sax asked him if he could show them the way to the closest bar.

“I will, if you pay me.”

Sax frowned, not so pleased about that.

“How much do you want?”

“Five credits.”

Sax growled then showed the kid the money but before he could take it, Sax put it back in his pocket.

“Ah ah ah, not so fast, little man. First, you tell us your name then you lead us. You’ll get the credits once we arrive.”

Vizago crossed his arms on his small chest. He probably wasn’t older than five.

“No deal. It’s unfair. What insurance do I have you’ll respect your promise? You’re a grown-up and grown-ups always lie.”

Sax crouched next to him and indicated Ahsoka with his thumb.

“See that lady with the horns and tentacles? She really cares about justice. She’s like a… a Jedi knight! She represents justice and she will kick my butt if I don’t pay you, am I right, Crazy Ful?”

Ahsoka blushed and nodded. His comment about the Jedi had been completely random, there’s no way he could have discovered her former identity but it had made her uneasy nonetheless. The boy then bowed, showing his little horns before saying:

“I’m Cikatro Vizago. Follow me! I’ll show you the way to the bar my sister works at.”

They started walking but Sax was only paying attention to the young Devaronian.

“Tell me, Vizago. Is your sister pretty?”

When the boy asked for more credits to give tips about how to flirt efficiently with his sister, Sax didn’t hesitate to pay and Ahsoka facepalmed herself. Geronimo closely listened but he wasn’t planning on using those tips to date Vizago’s sister or any other Devaronian woman for that matter, except of course if she was in his reach. They reached the bar and met Vizago’s sister who was a waitress behind the counter. She served her brother some juice then took the three pilots’ orders. As they were waiting, Sax kept on looking at all the pretty ladies in the room but his jokes were still on, which showed he wasn’t entirely on predator mode.

“That one’s for you, Crazy Ful,” Sax started. “What do Gungans put things in?”

Ahsoka thought about one of the few Gungans she knew and the image of Jar-Jar appeared in her mind, immediately giving her the answer.

“Jar-Jars.”

Sax’s mouth dropped down and Geronimo stared at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head.

“How did you know? Someone already told you that one, right?”

The Zabrak simply couldn’t believe it and Vizago laughed at him heartily. He was sitting on one of the high chairs in front of the bar and was sipping his juice with a small straw, holding his glass with two hands. He looked so sheepish and happy at that moment that Ahsoka smiled, she didn’t like to see him almost bullied back with the other children.

Then Vizago’s sister gave them their drinks and they laughed a bit more. Seven jokes later along with countless questions from Geronimo on how she had learned to fly like that, Ahsoka decided it was time for her to go. It’s not that she didn’t like the two other pilots, it’s just that it was getting late and she wanted to be in full form for the delivery the next day and she wasn’t used to act so freely and almost silly with others than her Master. It was actually her first drink with alcohol and she let it out, revealing it to her comrades who were greatly surprised. Geronimo promised to drink with her more as soon as they had a couple of days off back on Corellia but he had to turn his attention to Sax who was already flirting with Vizago’s sister.

Geronimo promised to keep an eye on the Zabrak and make sure he didn’t end up completely drunk. Ahsoka appreciated the gesture and left the bar, walking towards the nearest hotel where she rented a room. She knew neither pilot would sleep alone that night like she intended to, but it was fine with her, although her heart skipped a bit when she thought about the only person she might want to spend the night with.


	8. Devaron - Kriselist - Corellia (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / twelve days after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka woke up a good hour before the time she was supposed to meet the client. Because she wanted to have plenty of time, but not for herself rather to find Sax and Geronimo. She could just feel they got themselves into some trouble. Something involving a fight or sex, either way, she was sure they would be late for the meeting so she decided to look for them before that.

She dressed in her uniform, took a quick breakfast and went downstairs. After giving the key back, she left the hotel, completely rested. Since she had started to work for _Star Jump_ , she slept well, almost as if she had never had trouble sleeping back at the Temple. Almost. She made her way to the bar where Vizago’s sister worked, the place where she had last seen her companions. She didn’t expect to find them there, but it was a good place to start looking for them.

There were only three people inside and she had seen them the day before. The first was a waiter she had briefly seen serving people and she knew nothing more about him. The second was Vizago the kid who had plucked Sax almost bare. He was sitting at the counter like the day before but his glass of juice was already empty. He was playing with some cards but she didn’t know the game. She could tell though that he was learning the rules because he kept asking the other waiter what which card did. His earnings from the day before stayed by his glass and shone brightly like a treasure which it probably was for a child. It was still early in the morning, that’s probably why the kid wasn’t playing with the others.

The third person was Vizago’s sister and she was cleaning up the place. Now that Ahsoka looked more carefully at the interior of the bar, she realized some furniture had been broken along with glass that littered the floor near the entrance and where the tables and chairs had been destroyed.

“What happened here?” Ahsoka asked, her curiosity speaking before her will to know the whereabouts of the two pilots.

Vizago’s sister lifted her head and a small smile appeared on her dark green lips but it quickly faded away and she focused back on her task of sweeping off the glass debris. Ahsoka stopped to help her out and grabbed a broom. She had to admit that she wasn’t surprised Sax had fallen head over heels for the young Devaronian woman. She was truly pretty, her face was graceful and in the same color that her brother’s and her hair was neatly tied in a long braid that reached her waist. Instead of horns, she had two small dots on her forehead and a few black freckles around her nose.

“Your friend happened. The Zabrak.”

Ahsoka almost facepalmed herself but signed instead.

“What did he do this time?”

“When I refused his advances and made it clear I wouldn’t sleep with him, I thought he’d stop. He seemed like the reasonable guy. But he had been drinking a lot, I’m not complaining, we never had such a busy night as yesterday and we made a lot of profit, but he started messing around. It was nothing at first, he simply tried to convince me with a speech that lacked proper grammar but eventually he thought I refused because I was already taken. So he decided to find out who I was supposedly going out with and challenged every single guy in the room. Most of them ignored him and we were about to throw him out but Brango lost his patience and was about to kick his butt. That’s when his friend popped in and tried to calm things down. The Zabrak ran away in the end, or tried to at least, and your human friend took a beating instead. I don’t think Brango caught the Zabrak, he also drank quite a lot.”

Ahsoka’s face was deadly pale and she stopped sweeping.

“I’m so sorry.” She looked at the furniture. “If you need me to pay for the repairs, I’ll…”

“No need, these tables and chairs were old anyway and we made enough profit yesterday to buy twice as much chairs. So it’s fine.”

Ahsoka gathered the glass shards and tossed them into the bin while the Devaronian woman thanked her.

“Do you know where they are? We’re supposed to meet the client in less than an hour and then leave before ten. I’m going to kill those two idiots!”

Vizago’s sister smiled and indicated her brother with her thumb, resting her hands on her broom.

“The Zabrak was sleeping on our porch when we woke up, he’s probably still there. I asked my mother not to throw him out. But she might have tried to wake him up. As for the human, my brother probably knows since he’s been running through the whole city since dawn. He was certain you’d come by to look for your friends.”

Ahsoka sighed and thanked the Devaronian before approaching Vizago.

“Hey kid. I’ve got a job for you and I guess you already know what it is, am I right?”

Vizago turned his head towards her, put down his cards and smiled slyly.

“That’ll be ten credits.”

“How about three?”

“Eight.”

“Five and that’s my last offer.”

The child seemed to consider it for a moment as if he was hesitating but Ahsoka could see he had already taken his decision.

“Deal!”

He jumped out of his chair and bowed and Ahsoka did the same, then put the credits in his small hand which surprised the kid. He wasn’t expecting her to trust him like that.

“Come on, let’s go!” She winked and Vizago smiled as his newly acquired credits joined the small pile by the glass.

They reached his house and she found Sax sleeping on the porch. She shook him and it actually took Ahsoka a whole minute to wake him up because he just seemed unable to feel any pain, probably due to the numbness of too many drinks. The Zabrak finally opened his eyes and Ahsoka had just the time to step away from the place where he threw up.

“Hey, Sax! Wake up you idiot!”

But the Zabrak fell back unconscious and the Togruta sighed. She was going nowhere like that. Sax was in no condition whatsoever to walk even less fly. She would have to do without him. But she couldn’t just leave him there. First because they had to take away the fighter and the cargo before ten and second because he had caused Vizago’s family enough much trouble as it was. Besides, she wouldn’t let him get away with this and an idea started forming in her mind. She turned to Vizago.

“Do you happen to know a few strong guys who would do some heavy lifting for a couple of credits?”

He nodded and they let the Zabrak on the porch when Vizago’s mom told them she didn’t mind as long as someone cleaned the mess in front of her door. Ahsoka promised to do that before she left and Vizago showed her the way to Geronimo. He was in a shape even worse than Sax. He was lying between two broken crates in some other street, his lips were puffy, he had a black eye and a broken arm. Ahsoka checked him for further injuries; she wasn’t a medic but she knew what life-threatening injuries looked like. At most, the human had broken ribs. She didn’t want to take any chances though so she promised herself to get a medical droid to check up on him at the spaceport. There should be some medical droid walking around between transfers. She hoped at least because she couldn’t afford paying a real doctor and she wasn’t even sure if there was a Devaronian doctor in that city or if they would treat humans. She had always been raised in a way to respect every race equally but she had also met medics who refused to treat certain species.

“Don’t you worry, Gero. We’ll all be back to Corellia by the evening and I’ll kick Sax’s butt when he’ll be able to feel it!”

Geronimo wasn’t answering, still completely knocked out cold. Ahsoka sighed again. She felt like she would do that a lot that day. She then asked Vizago to find those strong guys and they all met at the entrance of the spaceport some half hour later. It was almost time to meet the client. Ahsoka looked at the seven Devaronians in front of her. They were all at least two feet taller than her and had buff arms. Some of them looked dangerous and she would have fled just like Sax before Brango if those guys were angry at her. She took all the credits she had in her belt back pocket.

“Alright guys. I have fifty credits here. Are you willing to do some heavy lifting and then share that sum between yourselves?”

The biggest one nodded and they agreed that Ahsoka would give them the credits once the job was done. She couldn’t run away anyway, if they’d catch her, she’d be in the same state as Geronimo. She sent two of them to pick Sax, two to find a stretcher and bring Geronimo and the three last to follow her. Vizago was sent to find a medical droid in the spaceport. They met the client at their landing bay. Ahsoka was pleased to see that nothing had changed since they left the place, the cargo ship was still there just like the three fighters and their helmets, even the droid piloting the cargo ship was awake and ready to work. The client was already waiting with crates of exotic fruit and vegetables and Ahsoka signed the document that stated she had taken the goods. All that was left to do was to deliver them to Kriselist. That was the easy part. The hardest part would be to leave Devaron with everything and everyone on time not to pay extra. After all, she didn’t want to lose her job after just a week.

Once the client was gone, Ahsoka turned to the three Devaronians. Loading the crates would be easy since they could float and so her helpers took only ten minutes to put them all inside the cargo ship. Usually they didn’t pile them too high in case they fell and some goods were fragile but this time she had no choice and asked the Devaronians to pile them as high as possible, up to the ceiling actually, so that as much place as possible was freed. She had a plan and it was unusual and risky, but she had no choice if she didn’t want Bulack to pay a great bill. Then she asked the guys to lift one of the fighters and put it also inside. They had more trouble doing so and had to use some droids to help them out but they managed to squeeze the first fighter into the cargo ship. The latter had a huge ramp door so fitting it through wasn’t the problem. The crates were all lined up in three rows against the right wall and the fighter fitted in the empty space. But there was no way a second fighter would fit in there.

Ahsoka knew perfectly well how much worth those fighters were. Bulack had made it very clear during her first day and she had enough experience in that domain to be able to tell herself. There was no way she could leave it here without losing her job. She could pay the spaceport to leave it, but she wasn’t sure it would still be there when she came back, for such a thing she’d have to pay an insurance that would be very expensive. If she left it on the planet but in the wild, there was even less chance she’ll find it again. She had no choice, she had to fit them in the cargo ship.

The ship was tall enough so she asked the Devaronians to put it up, as if it was reaching for the sky with its nose and it fitted but it took them an entire hour to put the two fighters in there. By that time, Vizago was back with a medical droid and the pilots were also there. The droid did a diagnosis and Geronimo had three broken ribs but nothing more serious. Sax was also still unconscious. Ahsoka put them both into the cargo ship, laying them under the fighter, that way if a crate went loose, it wouldn’t fall on them but on the fighter. She also put Sax’s helmet next to him and prayed that if he suddenly felt the urge to throw up, he would do so in his helmet. She paid the Devaronians but Vizago stayed to see her take off. Once the other guys were gone, Ahsoka pulled one credit from her glove and gave it to the boy for helping her out. In return, he promised to clean the vomit in front of his house for her.

Ahsoka then set course for Kriselist and got in her own fighter. Leaving the atmosphere of Devaron wasn’t hard. She just hoped Sax wouldn’t puke all over the place because she didn’t want to explain to the new client why their fruit smelled like vomit. It was bad for business.

But as soon as they were into space, a Separatist boarding ship appeared and three fighters came after them. Ahsoka ordered the droid piloting the cargo ship to raise the shields and follow the programmed route but to wait for her for the jump to hyperspace. She took care of the first enemy fighter before it even had the chance to try toaim at her. She followed the second one closely until it was blown to bits but the third one managed to hit the cargo ship. Fortunately, the shields held. Then the Separatists sent vulture droids that were much faster and there were nine of them. Ahsoka used evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit and to destroy as many as she could.

Her heart was beating fast and sweat was starting to stick to her forehead, not able to flow on her face because of the helmet. Her eyes were looking at everything like crazy behind the goggles integrated in her helmet. She kept talking to R6, occasionally yelling at the poor droid. She managed to destroy two thirds of the vulture droids before the shields of the cargo ship were disabled. The cargo could not be hit. Not even once. Because her job depended on it but also the lives of her friends. She considered Sax and Geronimo as her friends even though she wasn’t very close to them yet. She was new at that ‘ _being open_ ’ stuff. During her entire life she had learned she wasn’t supposed to form attachments and let herself be truly open about all sorts of things in life. She needed time to experience this kind of things. She wasn’t used to leading a normal life and she had trouble doing so as it was. She needed time. To get used to life outside the Jedi Order and to find herself, to discover who she truly was. That didn’t meant she’d stop using the Force. She couldn’t just stop being Force-sensitive, and she intended to keep on connecting, but not as a Jedi.

She took out two vulture droids after they disabled the shields but the third was about to attack and she didn’t have time to turn the guns in its direction. She pushed the fighter in the path of the vulture droid and took the damage instead of the cargo ship, then destroyed the last enemy. And before the Separatist ship had time to attack again, she told the droid piloting the cargo ship to jump into hyperspace. They reached Kriselist without more problems and Ahsoka could finally breathe again.

The planet was mostly urban and hadn’t any specific traits and it was inhabited by humans. Ahsoka made sure to unload the crates before the client appeared in case Sax or Geronimo decided to screw things up. After all, the journey hadn’t been that calm… Things got a bit awkward when someone threw up inside the cargo ship as Ahsoka was getting the client’s signature and he looked at her with a questioning look but she simply smiled innocently and he left with the fruit and vegetables. Ahsoka then sighed in relief and went to check on her comrades. Sax had heaved and not in his helmet. She washed it up and left the door of the cargo ship open before tending to her fighter. The damage wasn’t major but she started fixing it at least until she was sure it would hold through hyperspace.

Then they came back to Corellia and landed in the bay of the _Star Jump_ company. Bulack was waiting for them and Ahsoka jumped out of her fighter and took her helmet off before greeting her captain.

“I was getting worried, you should have been back an hour ago. Where are Sax and Geronimo? And what happened to you?”

He didn’t seem mad, just genuinely worried. Then he saw her pale face and worn-out silhouette.

“Well the journey through hyperspace from Kriselist was quite long, but we’ve encountered a Separatist boarding ship with its load of problems.” The cargo ship ramp was being lowered and Ahsoka quickly added. “Before you start wondering, I need to explain the state of the ship!”

As she said that, Bulack came closer and took a peek inside before immediately pinching his nose. The two missing fighters were inside, one of them up, and the two pilots seemed dead under the one that was in the normal position. There was a poodle of vomit on the floor and the R2 units in the fighters beeped when they saw the captain. Bulack then turned to Ahsoka, his eyebrows raised.

“It’s a long story,” Ahsoka sighed.

In the end, she explained everything to Bulack, how their trip to Devaron was as peaceful as it could be, what had happened in Vizago’s sister bar, how Sax and Geronimo had ended up like that, what she had done to get everything and everyone on board and the attack on the ship which explained the fried shield generators and the damage on her own fighter. Bulack listened carefully, congratulated her for her ingeniosity and courage and promised to deal with the two pilots once they were conscious. From his tone, she guessed it wouldn’t be pretty and promised herself not to be around when the yelling would take place.

Bulack then gave her three days free. First because thanks to her brilliant idea, they hadn’t lost any profit. The repairs would cost a little, but it was nothing compared to what they would have had to pay had Ahsoka’s plan not worked out. Second, because their next shipments for the rest of the week were essentially on Corellia itself or on Duro which meant droids could do the piloting because Separatists never attacked so close to the Core Worlds. Third because she deserved the rest after the stunt they all pulled. Ahsoka thanked him then set to work on her fighter after changing into more casual clothes: light cargo pants and a small sleeveless top that showed her belly. She never liked leaving something undone for the next day and she had nothing better to do that evening except going to sleep because she was dead tired. She was planning to use the next day to fully repair the fighter, but she wanted to make sure that after her quick repairs on Kriselist, the fighter would hold during the night.

As she was lying under it, she listened to the news on the big screen on one of the walls. Two walls of the landing bay were doors that were always open for the ships to come and go. There was also a hole in the roof but at the moment it was closed because not useful. The third wall was leading to the rest of the bay which was basically the buildings of the company, including Bulack’s office, all their quarters, hangers, garages, droid storage and maintenance rooms. The fourth wall had shelves with tools and the big screen.

“Pass me that screwdriver, R6 will you?”

The droid bipped and handed her the tool as the news shifted again, one programmeending. Suddenly, a new reporter’s voice boomed in the bay and Ahsoka didn’t pay too much attention until the name Onderon was mentioned. She even almost hit her head on her fighter out of surprise. She got out from under the fighter and sat on its wing as she took off her brand new pair of goggles she had bought before Devaron and wiped her hands on a cloth.

“ _…and now, since Onderon joined the Republic, Senator Bonteri has been representing his home world in the Senate. He even made a speech this afternoon at the ceremony that celebrated Saw Gerrera’s new military rank of Commander in the Onderanian Army._ ”

The image shifted from the reporter and played the recording of the speech. Lux was standing behind a reading desk and wearing some rich clothes she guessed were from Onderon. She smiled when she saw that the collar of his shirt had the same embroidering that everybody wore on Raxus at the Bonteri estate. His hear wasn’t pulled back like the first time they met which she had thought made him look like some pretentious spoiled kid. He looked more like a Senator than a rebel, but Ahsoka could tell he had a certain glow that wasn’t artificial like for most Senators. You could immediately see he too had gotten his hands dirty to free Onderon. She also discovered the recording was simply a part of his speech since it started right in the middle of something that had nothing to do with military promotions.

“ _I know it is not Onderon’s freedom anniversary yet and that this day is still fresh in all our minds, but I wanted to remind us all of something. That Onderon was freed because of Commander Saw,_ ” he motioned to the now decorated with a medal and proud as ever Saw who bowed, “ _because of every rebel and citizen of Iziz, but also because of Steela Gerrera that sacrificed her life for a better future._ ”

Ahsoka bit her lips. She had gotten over Steela’s death and wasn’t considering it as her fault anymore even though it was what she had thought at first. She hadn’t forgotten either, how could she? Even if Steela had been a rival, Ahsoka wished she wasn’t dead. Even if that meant maybe seeing Lux with her instead. Then Lux spoke again.

“ _But I want to remind you also of all the troopers and Jedi that helped us free our home. Allies of the Republic helped us, and I couldn’t be more proud that to represent you all in the Senate, by the side of other Republican Senators. We owe those troopers and Jedi a great deal, especially the one that stayed behind with us in Iziz to make sure our actions were successful, the Jedi who saved our king, the Jedi who saved us._ ”

He closed his eyes for a moment and lowered his head as did Saw and the General. The King stayed serious but a faint smile appeared on his bearded face as his gaze didn’t leave Lux’s silhouette. The camera quickly passed on all the important faces gathered and Ahsoka saw Master Kenobi among them, as serious and wise as always. The Senator then looked again at the people gathered in front of him. His voice was strong as ever.

“ _I am sure she would be with us here if she could._ ” He swiftly glanced at Obi-Wan. “ _And I want her to know that she won’t be forgotten, that all those who helped free Onderon will always live in our hearts, living or dead, close or away._ ”

The reporter from before came back again and Ahsoka looked away from the screen, not interested anymore. She felt better and wiped the single tear that wet her dirty cheek. He was thinking about her. She was sure he wanted to put a hidden message in his speech. He was looking for her, she was certain of that. She promised herself to call him soon. Her heart leapt of joy at that thought.


	9. Corellia again (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / fifteen days after leaving the Jedi Order_

Just as Ahsoka had feared, Bulack yelled at Sax and Geronimo so loudly that all the walls of the company shook, including those of her own quarters. And it took a while for the captain to express his anger. During that time, she mostly stayed in her quarters, but eventually walked out to do some shopping. She wasn’t used to that kind of stuff, but there was always a first time for everything. She bought herself a third set of clothes which were a little bit more colorful than the grey and dark outfit she had on Myrkr. She also had her pilot boots repaired.

For a moment there, she wondered about Max and what he was doing which brought her to think about her past. It had already been more than two weeks since she left the Jedi Order and seeing Master Kenobi on the screen when they were back from Kriselist was the closest she had gotten to see a Jedi since her departure. She missed them, all of them, even Padme, the younglings, the Senators she was friends with and all the troopers, she missed even Jar-Jar.

But she knew she couldn’t go back. She was often wondering though what she would do once her period of hesitation would be over. She hadn’t decided yet, it was all too foggy in her head to see through things clearly. But she was less and less angry at the Counsel. The feeling of betrayal was gone, replaced by that of emptiness. She felt empty inside now that her life had been turned upside down just because one Jedi, a Padawan at that, wanted to make a point to the world. She wasn’t angry at Barriss, just sad. She didn’t know what happened to the Mirilan and truthfully, she didn’t want to now at least for now. It was too soon.

And it was also too soon for her to reach a decision. The possibility of coming back in the Order after some time lingered in the back of her head, sometimes making her regret her decision. But she knew she had to get away. She wanted to see what she was able to do on her own and taste the freedom the Order forbade in certain ways of life.

In the shops of Coronet City, she also sold the blade she had bought on Myrkr to buy two vibroblades. She could have bought one vibroblade and one vibrosword, but it took too much place on her belt. She also wanted to stick to her usual combat techniques,but she couldn’t exactly carry lightsabers. And, since she had lost her shoto at the military prison and her green lightsaber in the lower levels of Coruscant, she couldn’t exactly use them. She was sure her Master found a way to retrieve them, maybe just in case she actually decided to come back or perhaps just as a souvenir. And building new lightsabers would take her a while. But these were the weapons she mastered and she felt bare without them, just like that time with the Trendoshians when she met Chewbacca. She always felt connected to the Force and wanted to keep practicing, but the question of if she’d someday build new lightsabers remained to be answered.

When Ahsoka came back to _Star Jump_ , Sax was waiting in front of her door. He was full of energy like before, but when he saw her, he got all nervous and rubbed his hand on his hairless neck. To make up for his mistakes, he offered her to have a small party that evening, during her last free day. He was ready to pay for food and beer, nothing stronger, and thought that they could catch up a bit, learn more about each other. He spent five entire minutes apologizing until Ahsoka had enough of his blabbering and accepted.

That evening, since Bulack was out negotiating their future contracts somewhere in some VIP lounge in Coronet City, they set out in the landing bay and closed all the doors. Sax brought a dozen cushions for them to sit on and the food and drinks like he promised. They put the news on the big screen and even gave the droids fresh oil cleaning like it was some kind of celebration.

Sax was like his good old self and once Ahsoka told him she forgave him, he started joking again, as if nothing had happened. Geronimo had his arm in a sling and wasn’t supposed to be working for a month. He complained every ten minutes about the pain in his broken ribs and the fact he couldn’t do a thing without wincing. Bulack had threatened to throw them both out. From the bits Ahsoka had heard as the walls shook, she understood that it wasn’t the first time both pilots had caused the captain trouble. Sax seemed to be the worst though. But Bulack couldn’t fire them since he needed pilots. Since it wasn’t Geronimo’s fault this time, the human got nothing but the Zabrak’s pay was cut by half for the current month. Sax shrugged; it wasn’t the first time it happened. What the Zabrak didn’t know though, was that Bulack was planning on giving that half-pay to Ahsoka at the end of her contract as a bonus for her efforts and dedication. But Ahsoka didn’t knew that either.

As the news played on the giant screen, they sat on the big round cushions and criticized what the reporters said, occasionally giving their opinions about subjects and politics. For the first time since she left Coruscant, Ahsoka had to admit she was having a lot of fun. Sure, she was pretty much always having fun when her Master was around but this was a different kind of fun. It had nothing to do with competition, it could even be called ‘ _silly_ ’ and she endlessly laughed at Sax’s not so funny jokes like she was having the time of her life.

“Wait, I’ve got another one!” yelled the Zabrak as he was sitting straight, his can of beer at his side, his hands already moving like the greatest of Senators or the most talented comedian.

Ahsoka was still laughing from the last joke and was lying on two cushions, whereas Geronimo was slightly crying because his ribs hurt when he laughed.

“How is duck tape like the Force?”

They’ve been partying like this for three hours and during that time, Ahsoka had gotten very comfortable with the two pilots, considering them as her friends, even acting around them like around troopers she had known forever like Rex, considering them as her brothers. She got used to the fact that half of Sax’s jokes, if not more, were about Jedi or the Force. It had been hard at first not to flinch or seem nervous whenever those two subjects were brought up but now, it seemed to be as normal to talk about it as about anything else in a daily routine. She had also discovered that normal people, that is, not-sensitive to the Force, knew actually very little about the Jedi ways, except for the things they were able to grasp when they saw Jedi. But how the Jedi Order or even the Force worked, they had no idea. Especially Sax.

“It has a Dark side, a Light side and it binds the galaxy together!” answered the Zabrak.

Ahsoka burst out laughing with Geronimo who then insulted Sax because of his ribs.

“And what do you call a female Mandalorian?”

Ahsoka had no idea what to answer and was pretty sure the actual answer wouldn’t be very bright but she still wanted to hear it.

“A Womandalorian!”

Sax seemed particularly proud of that one and they all laughed before the screen caught their attention again. That time, it was the consequences of a new law that Chancellor Palpatine had installed once the Senate voted it. It was yet again something that involved the Banking Clans, more Clones and never seemed to solve the war.

“I hate that guy,” Ahsoka let out as she was sitting up to take a sip of beer.

It was her third can that evening and she was surprised to see she could hold her liquor quite well. She then heard a noise near the left bay door but when she turned her head, she found nothing except a small ray of light that was coming from the slightly open door.

“Gero, did you close the door?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s open.”

The other pilots turned their heads and realized she was right, but Sax simply shrugged.

“Don’t bother, these doors are as old as the company itself, maybe even as old as the old geezer himself! Sometimes they don’t close entirely, it’s nothing.”

“If you say so…”

Ahsoka reported her attention to the screen while drinking more beer. The Chancellor’s face appeared from time to time. He seemed to be aging ten years at every frame and looked more like an old man than the strong political leader he once was. It seemed the war was wearing everyone down, even him. She hated him because he had never actually acknowledged her. Every time she had met him was with Anakin by her side and her Master had always been the one the Chancellor talked to. That she was used to, especially since every Jedi Master became a General in the war effort. But other leaders always acknowledged her presence whereas Palpatine never seemed to even see her, as if she was a vulgar insect that didn’t deserve his attention, not even a single stare. The second reason she hated him was because Anakin always was troubled when he came back from talking to him and seemed darker every single time. And third because Ahsoka had more and more the impression he was fuelling the war, not trying to stop it. She was no politician, so she couldn’t tell what was truly going on in the Senate but she saw what Padme tried to achieve and she thought it was the right thing to do. Palpatine, on the other hand, was far from sharing the Naboo Senator’s views as far as the Togruta could tell.

Another noise interrupted Ahsoka’s train of thoughts, this time coming from behind Sax’s fighter that had been placed back in the bay.

“This time I definitely heard something guys!”

“You’re being paranoid! There’s no one else here than us!”

“And what if Bulack came back from his negotiations? He’ll be furious; we’re not supposed to be camping in the bay like that!”

“Fine!” said Sax as he stood up. “I’ll check it out. Maybe a lone Tooka found its way here somehow.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and smiled. Gero raised his can to cheer and Ahsoka pressed hers against his.

“To Sax who finally did something out of the goodness of his heart!”

“Cheers!”

“So Crazy Ful… I heard from the captain he met you on Kashyyyk… you’re a friend of the Wookies then, aren’t you?”

Ahsoka was tempted to change the subject, but it was true: she was a friend of the Wookies and she had met Bulack on Kashyyyk. Besides, she did nothing wrong there, there was no reason for her to hide that. And she had promised herself she’d get to know the two pilots better, talking was one way of doing it.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“What about your family?”

Ahsoka looked away from Gero’s face, away from the screen above them that kept showing other politicians and even away from her own can of beer, fixing a point in the empty space in front of her. She raised her knees and slung her arms around them, resting her chin on top.

“I had. But things happened and everything changed. No siblings though. And I don’t remember what my parents look like. I’m not even sure they’re still alive.”

It was Gero’s turn to confess.

“Well, I had a sister.”

Ahsoka looked at him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be. I mean, she was my sister and all but she was taken when she was very young and we didn’t keep in touch afterwards.” Ahsoka wanted to ask who took her and what happened but Geronimo kept talking and she didn’t want to interrupt him. “I missed her though. And I couldn’t even tell her that before she died. Her name was Kalifa.”

Ahsoka’s heart stopped and her blue eyes widened at the sound of the name. For a moment there, she was completely away, remembering how she had met Kalifa, Homer and Jinx, how they had stuck together, how Kalifa had been injured then shot in front of her very own eyes. She had been yet another person Ahsoka didn’t manage to save. Geronimo seemed to have noticed her uneasiness because he put his can down and grabbed her by the shoulder with his good arm.

“You knew her! Didn’t you?”

Ahsoka shook her head in denial and looked away, her head buzzing with memories and nervousness. She couldn’t let Geronimo find out. She could always pretend she met her as a civilian, after all Jedi had been traveling a lot during the Clone Wars and Kalifa had once been a Padawan, she certainly visited several planets. But Geronimo’s hand on her shoulder was like a steel grip, cold and piercing, that she couldn’t get away from. And somehow, he just knew.

“You were a Jedi, weren’t you?”

She met his gaze again and was surprised to find sadness and pity in them and not the mischief or anger, maybe even fear she expected.

“I was right. From the moment I saw you, I thought you looked like that Togruta Jedi that had had a military trial. That did make quite the news!”

Ahsoka cursed under her breath. She just knew she had to get rid of the Akul teeth sooner. Or maybe it was her face altogether. It now seemed to her that changing clothes and abandoning her lightsabers wasn’t enough. Maybe trying to find a job in the open wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe Nar Shaddaa was the only place for her to go after all.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anybody. There’s a reason why you decided to change, to leave everything behind and I’ll respect that because it takes more than just some courage to do so. You probably had your reasons and I’ll listen to them if you want to talk about it, but I won’t force you, Crazy Ful.”

Ahsoka felt like she could trust him and she thanked him. She had no insurance he would really keep his word, but he owed her one and she was starting to know him better. He didn’t seem like someone who you sell her out. And it wasn’t like her horned little head had a price on it, not anymore at least. She was about to tell him a bit about it when a huge noise came from the room where all the droids and tools were stashed and Sax came back, but he wasn’t alone. He was holding a kid by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up at some good meter above the ground.

“Let me go you horned bastard!” screamed the kid.

He was probably around nine, maybe ten years old and was wearing the typical civilan corellian clothes. The Zabrak threw him on one of the cushions and crossed his arms. The kid would have to confront either Ahsoka or Sax to get through because the wall with the giant screen was right behind him.

“I found this lost Tooka snooping around my fighter! And when I saw him, he tried to make it to the droid room but I caught him.”

“Told you the door was open,” Ahsoka said while shrugging her shoulders.

“Hey! Don’t start Fulcrum! Anyway, what are you doing on the _Star Jump_ property kid? You don’t know it’s a restricted area?”

The kid imitated Sax and also crossed his arms, apparently not willing to talk.

“Fine, don’t talk. I’m sure you’ll be screaming like a girl once we toss you off the landing bay.”

The kid seemed afraid and stepped back only to hit the wall.

“You’re bluffing!”

“Oh, he’s capable of doing it, believe me!” replied Geronimo, still comfortably sitting on his cushion.

The kid lowered his head and Ahsoka knelt next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“How about you tell us your name and what you came to do here. You should also explain how you managed to get here since we’re not on the ground. If you do so, I’ll personally take you home and we won’t tell our boss.”

“But…” Sax started.

“We won’t!”

Sax lowered his head and kicked his empty beer can, throwing his hands in his pockets rather violently. “Fine!”

The kid nodded.

“I’m Han and I wanted to see the _C-21 Starfighter_ from up close. They are considered to be one of the best fighters Corellia ever constructed! As for how I came here…”

He pointed his small boots and Ahsoka recognized the same kind of propulsors Cad Bane used to have on his own boots to make them fly. After that, they agreed to let the kid go and just like promised, Ahsoka took him home, even allowing him to get aboard her fighter. It was a bit tight and difficult to maneuver with the kid sitting on her lap, but she managed to get him home safely and came back to the landing bay as quickly as possible. During her absence, the boys had cleaned up the cushions, beers and food and shut off the screen before Sax committed a murder on a droid after seeing Palpatine’s face again. From what Ahsoka learned later on, Sax knew very little about politics and therefore disliked every single politician and loved making fun of them. Geronimo went to sleep early because of the medication for his broken arm and ribs and Sax did some maintenance on his fighter. Ahsoka later joined him, working on hers and she was greeted with yet another joke. But somehow, the more stupid jokes she heard from the Zabrak, the more funny she found them.


	10. Corellia - Manpha (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / one month and a week after leaving the Jedi Order_

A month had passed since her three free days. By then, she already knew all the drills of the job and had even improved her piloting skills. Geronimo had never mentioned, not even once, that she was a Jedi before and Ahsoka was grateful for that. His arm was fixed and, although his ribs did still hurt from time to time, they had mended and he could start working again to his delight. They were sent either all three at once or separated, to different planets like Kaal, Bespin or Mugaar and, apart from the occasional Separatists’s ships, they didn’t encounter much trouble, as if their near escape from Devaron had served as a lesson. But Ahsoka knew droids and she knew the Separatists: they’d stop staying low once they’d find a new way of attacking the cargo.

She was in her quarters at the company, preparing herself for the trip which was supposed to be to Terminus. That was actually the longest trip ever and reached the end of the Corellian Trade Spine, reaching deep into the Outer Rim. The closest she had been to Terminus was actually Mustafar and just thinking about the volcano planet made her skin crawl. She had no intention to go back there ever but luckily, she was sent to Terminus, which was a planet mostly urban, a little like a small Coruscant except everything wasn’t as big, deep and fast as on the planet she used to live.

It didn’t take her long to be ready. The simple journey to Terminus through hyperspace would take most of the day, then finding the client would take some time but luckily after that they were done and could enjoy the rest of the day on Terminus before heading the next morning. After such a long trip, there was no way they would be able to fly back the same distance. Ahsoka was just hoping the same thing as on Devaron wouldn’t happen because that time, she was determined to leave Sax and Gero on Terminus to deal with the mess themselves. Bulack had been very clear also, the pilots knew they couldn’t step out of the line this time, not after the stunt they pulled three weeks back.

Once her bag was packed with some extra clothes, her two vibroblades and some other not very valuable stuff, she had a moment to herself before it was time to leave. Knowing Sax, he would be the one to knock on her door to yell at her to move it otherwise they’d be late and once she opened the door he’d greet her with another joke.

Ahsoka knew exactly how to spend the time she had left before work started. She reached under her pillow on her slightly bigger than at the Temple bed and pulled out one of the gloves Chewbacca had made for her. She put it on and turned on her comlink, calling someone very dear to her. She knew he might be busy or might yell at her like last time, but since she had seen him on the screen during his speech at Saw’s promotion, she couldn’t stop thinking about calling him. It had been months since Onderon was freed and therefore, since they saw or even talked to each other. She wasn’t used to this kind of feelings, but she was longing for him. And in an ever more intimate and romantic way that she had ever thought was possible. Truly, she wasn’t feeling like this with anyone else.

Her heart skipped a beat when Lux’s voice came from the small device. This time, Ahsoka hadn’t even tried to create a hologram and hadn’t activated the voice alterer. The only protections she had were her trust in Lux and the unknown and untraceable number she was calling with. This time Lux didn’t sound angry but dead tired as if he hadn’t slept in days. Ahsoka guessed it was probably the case; she knew he could get very dedicated with his work and stubborn enough to spend entire nights awake.

“Who is this?”

Ahsoka took a deep breath before answering.

“Lux… it’s Ahsoka…”

The Senator suddenly seemed alive as if he had been kicked by electricity.

“Ahsoka! Are you alright? Where are you? Are you safe? Why didn’t you call earlier? I was so worried!” He sounded genuinely anxious about her situation and relieved at the same time to hear her voice.

“I’m fine Lux. To make it short, I found a job on Corellia, I’m working as a pilot escorting some cargo. I’m so glad to hear your voice!” Her heart melted as she said that and her voice trembled slightly out of emotion. “I had to leave Coruscant, I’ll tell you in detail later, but you can’t use my name anymore. People know me as Fulcrum now.”

He didn’t protest as if he understood and agreed. She could imagine him nodding with a serious expression on his face, probably frowning slightly like he used to whenever things were serious.

“And I did call you but you seemed busy…” She didn’t want to sound mean.

“I’m so sorry about that. I realized it might have been you only moments later and I couldn’t trace your number. I was frustrated because I was looking for you and couldn’t find anything!”

He stopped to take his breath.

“When I learned what happened, I came straight to Coruscant, I wanted to see you after the trial and went to the Temple in the evening but the Jedi told me you were gone. Then I insisted and actually met Master Skywalker. I’ve never seen him so broken and angry, he almost encased me in the wall when I asked about your whereabouts and I escaped with simply a death stare.”

“You know it’s not wise to upset the angriest Jedi in the galaxy?” She tried to say that with a chuckle but she was truly wounded. Lux had been to the Temple the day she had left, the day she had truly disappointed her Master which could easily explain that outburst. He was probably better now that a month had passed. She was hoping he got over it but deep in her heart she knew he would never truly accept her departure. He might not be angry at her directly but he will never forgive himself for what happened. She knew him well enough to know he will think his entire life about ways he could have changed things and prevented that from happening. He simply couldn’t let go and she was afraid it would cost him dearly someday.

“Then I met Senator Amidala and she was quite surprised to see me on Coruscant. She was sure you went to Onderon to see me and we were worried. The ship had arrived as planned, but you weren’t there, we wondered what happened. We managed to keep General Skywalker away from all of this, but he eventually found out. Unfortunately, his leads didn’t lead him anywhere and he was called back to the battlefield before he could actually try anything.”

“Try to keep him out of this if you can, I don’t want him looking for me. Or any other Jedi, I have to sort things out on my own.”

When Lux next spoke, he sounded wounded.

“This means you don’t want to see me either?”

“No, I didn’t mean that! Of course I’d love to see you, but I can’t. Not yet. My contract ends in two months, maybe I’ll see you then.”

“That would be great! So what happened to you? You directly went to Corellia instead of Onderon?”

Then Ahsoka told him about Myrkr, Kashyyyk and Corellia, avoiding certain parts like her meeting with Max, the trouble Sax and Geronimo had caused and the Separatists’s attacks. She didn’t want to worry him more.

“Could you tell Padme I’m fine though? I’m sure she’ll find a way to tell Anakin without sending him on a searching party. After all, she’s a Senator, she’s good with words.”

“Sure.”

The rest of the conversation was simply about general stuff like some reminiscence on their previous adventures and some small new things that happened to each of them, like for instance the fact that Lux had an apartment on Onderon in Iziz, not very far from the Royal Palace but he kept the estate on Raxus and had the remaining housemaids of her mother taking good care of it. But Ahsoka’s time was out and Sax loudly knocked on her door.

“Come on Crazy Ful! It’s time to go! Move your cute little ass and let’s go before Bulack goes into a frenzy!”

Ahsoka could literally hear the embarrassment in Lux’s voice.

“Crazy Ful? And cute little… how dare he talk about you like that! Who is that idiot anyway?”

“Relax, it’s just Sax, one of my coworkers!” Ahsoka said the last part loud enough for Sax to hear as she threw a dark stare at her quarters’ door. “I got to go, duty calls. I expect to hear from you soon, Senator Bonteri.”

“Me too.”

Then Ahsoka ended the conversation, hid her glove and grabbed her bag. Sax was leaning on her door and almost fell inside her quarters when she opened it. The Zabrak was grinning and playfully elbowed her.

“So… Crazy Ful’s got a thing for a Senator, hum? And young Bonteri at that? How come that out of all the men in the galaxy such an awesome and talented pilot like you had to fall for a sweet talker like that clown?”

Ahsoka punched him in the arm and didn’t respond but her cheeks were a little brighter and the blue strips on her lekku slightly darkened.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late.”

They reached the landing bay just as the cargo ship had finished being loaded with mostly power cells used for neon lamps and wires to power them up. Geronimo was checking his fighter and he seemed particularly excited to start that day. It was his first mission after his long absence and Sax greeted him with yet another joke.

“Hey Gero, have you tried the gluten-free wookie treats? I heard they are a little Chewy.”

Bulack then came in and cleared his throat which sent the two pilots in an almost military salute, reminding Ahsoka of her dear clones, especially the 501st regiment she had worked so many times with.

“Your destination is Terminus but I’ve just received a second contract. You will stop at Manpha on the way to pick up a passenger. He doesn’t mind traveling in the cargo ship and I trust him not to damage the cargo. He’ll get off at Terminus, the payment has already been made so don’t screw this up!”

He handed the file to Sax who tossed it inside his cockpit after quickly looking at it.

“It’s a dude without tentacles, not funny.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and climbed into her fighter. They left Corellia without problem but encountered some enemy ships in the Seitia sector where was Manpha. But since this time they were three, it didn’t take them long to destroy all the droids and even the Separatists’s boarding ship. The green planet then came into view closer at every second.

“Didn’t even break a sweat! These droids are getting dumber by the day!”

“That’s easy for you to tell, since you were heaving in the cargo ship last time we got attacked and _I_ had to deal with them on my own!” Ahsoka reminded him but Sax just shrugged.

They entered the planet’s atmosphere and all they could see on miles were swamps. The closer they got the more uneasy Ahsoka felt. She was tempted to inform her comrades about that but decided against it since she felt it through the Force and didn’t want to raise Sax’s suspicions since Geronimo already knew.

“Hey Crazy Ful, you seem a bit tight in your fighter, are you nervous? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of swamps?”

“It’s not that, Sax. There’s something wrong…”

“Here’s a joke for ya to relax: why shouldn’t you ask Yoda for money?”

She didn’t answer, focusing on the presence she was feeling on the planet as the ships lowered, getting closer to the ground, about to reach it.

“Because he’s always a little short!”

The Zabrak laughed loudly, overloading the comlink but Ahsoka remained concentrated on the only person waiting for them in the swamps, on a small island that seemed solid and large enough for the three fighters and cargo ship to land on. That’s when it hit her, she felt another presence in the Force, and one she knew very well even before she recognized the passenger although he was wearing a dark cloak.

“Oh poodoo!” was all she said.


	11. Manpha - Terminus (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / one month and a week after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka forced herself to remain calm but her mind was racing and so was her heartbeat. She just couldn’t believe it. A Jedi! Here, on Manpha! And not just any random Jedi she might not know. It had to be the first Jedi ever that she had met, the one who had found her on Shili, the one who had discovered her abilities and brought her to the Temple on Corusant.

She cursed under her breath, loud enough to actually let it out of her chest but not loud enough for her coworkers to hear. As her fighter landed on the small island made of grass and thick greenery, she looked at the hooded figure patiently waiting in the middle. She only saw his face when Geronimo went to talk to him and the passenger lowered his hood, revealing his Kril’Dor face and dark mask. He looked just like Ahsoka remembered him. Actually he hadn’t changed much during all these years she had spent at the Temple and then on the field. He was the closest she had to a father. She considered Anakin as her closest friend and brother, Obi-Wan was like a very close uncle, but she had always had a special relationship with Master Plo, even though her relationship with Anakin had grown stronger over time.

Seeing him only a few feet away from her, alive and well, moved her even more than seeing Obi-Wan on screen during the latest Onderon celebration. Just by simply looking at him she felt her resolve crumble and regretted her decision. All she wanted to do was come back to the Temple and be a Jedi again. Suddenly she felt as if she had been walking in utter darkness for a whole month and Master Plo was the light leading to her salvation. She felt whole now that he was here as if leaving the Jedi Order had truly broken her in half and one piece had been left with Anakin.

She looked away and tried to quiet her mind and calm her thoughts. If she had been able to feel him through the Force, he had certainly sensed her too. She didn’t know how to hide her Force signature and the way he looked at her fighter told her he knew it was her. Her window shield was a little dirty from the long travelling but she could still see clearly and so could he. Even though her helmet and integrated goggles concealed her so recognizable face, her montrals were still pointing out. She just knew he had recognized her but his gaze shifted from her fighter to Geronimo and he didn’t mention her. Ahsoka realized he was respecting her decision to stay separate from the Jedi Order and tears welled up in her eyes.

She could hear their conversation thanks to Geronimo’s mike and the young Corellian didn’t say anything about her either, keeping her secret like he had promised. Sax got halfway out of his fighter and put a foot on his fighter’s wing while still saying a bit in the cockpit.

“ Hey! Crazy Ful, why aren’t you coming out?”

He knew she was usually the one to deal with the client and did most of the talking if not all of it. She simply told him to shut it and the Zabrak’s gaze went from her to the Kril’Dor but he didn’t seem to make the connection and eventually shrugged. Geronimo then opened the cargo ship door and let the Jedi in. Master Plo simply sat on the ground near the pilot droid.

Ahsoka wondered if he would tell the counsel about her whereabouts. He could and she wouldn’t be surprised or mad at him for doing so since with the Holocron the Jedi kept track of the Force-sensitive children. So why not her? But she was sure he wouldn’t tell Anakin. Maybe Obi-Wan but not her former Master. Yoda and Windu wouldn’t allow it. They all knew about Anakin’s trouble to let go. But Obi-Wan or Plo Koon, they’d be able to let her go and wouldn’t try to look for her like Anakin was sure to do.

Once Master Plo was on board, they left Manpha and made their way to Terminus. Ahsoka didn’t speak during the whole trip but Sax made stupid jokes nonetheless and it filled the conversation. They got attacked near Terminus but even some action wasn’t able to shake Ahsoka from her anxiousness and sadness.

When they reached an open landing bay on Terminus, which really looked like a small Coruscant except the city was smaller and calmer and you could see scum immediately, Master Plo bowed in the traditional Jedi way and left without saying another word. He didn’t look back and Ahsoka left her fighter once she was sure he was gone. Sax was about to say something about her rude and unusual behavior but Geronimo came to her rescue.

“Leave her alone, Sax. It’s not the right moment to be an ass.”

The Zabrak was about to protest but Geronimo took him by the arm and dragged him towards the cargo.

“We’ll see you at the hotel later, Fulcrum,” said the Corellian.

They had agreed before they left Corellia that they would rent a suite for all three of them on Terminus, that way the two other pilots wouldn’t be tempted to get into trouble while having fun. Ahsoka let the boys take care of the cargo and the client then headed to the hotel. She walked mindlessly through the streets, ignoring the stares people were giving her and especially her white uniform that seemed so out of place. She was actually too preoccupied to notice. She couldn’t stop thinking about her encounter with Master Plo. It seemed to her that having a normal and legal job out in the open wasn’t actually such a good idea after all… The more she thought about Master Plo the more her thoughts drifted to Nar Shaddaa and to Max. She wanted to believe him, believe that she could actually have a place there. Of course, it wasn’t the best of places in the entire galaxy, quite the contrary, but she was sure no Jedi would be looking for her there. Her face markings and headdress were still too recognizable but she couldn’t change the way her face looked and there was no way she’d wear a mask. After all, she was just trying to put her past behind her, it wasn’t like she was wanted, at least not anymore.

When she reached their suite in the hotel, she didn’t even eat. She just didn’t feel like it. After a quick passage in the common refresher, she jumped into bed but mostly laid awake on her back, sleep eluding her as if drowning in her thoughts was some kind of punishment. After a while, she decided to grab something to eat and painfully filled her stomach, forcing herself. The trip all the way from Corellia had tired her and she got into bed a second time as the sun was sinking in the horizon. This time, she fell asleep and was only waken up but some noise in the common room of the suite. Someone was trying to open the door, fumbling with keys and joking loudly.

She instinctively put her hands on the nightstand where her lightsabers usually were but reality slapped her hard, reminding her she was no longer a Jedi. She quietly got up and reached her bag that she had unceremoniously thrown across the floor, pulling out her two vibroblades as Geronimo was telling Sax to shut it, in order not to wake her up. The Zabrak kept asking why she had acted so weird during the day but Gero didn’t tell him anything at all, simply stating that it was none of their business. The two pilots then reached their own rooms and silence reigned once again in the suite. Ahsoka put one vibrobalde on her nightstand and the other under her pillow, just in case.

Weird dreams greeted her third attempt at sleep. She was seeing familiar faces in different places and the people she knew seemed to be doing their usual jobs. She saw Master Secura in an environment filled with huge colorful flowers that could only be found on Felucia. She saw Master Yoda on Kashyyyk, talking to Wookies, his faithful clones behind him. She saw Master Plo in a Jedi fighter, making his way through what looked like a blockade or a space battle. She saw Master Kenobi riding a strange creature that looked like a huge lizard. She saw Master Ti in the Jedi Temple, calmly meditating. She saw Master Unduli and Barriss on some forest planet. She saw younglings training at the Temple. She saw Master Windu with Anakin and the Chancellor at the Senate.

But that last vision was the most disturbing of all. Master Windu’s purple sword was drawn and he seemed angry. Her mind became foggy and she couldn’t quite make out what was happening, only few details were offered to her like the strange glow of his lightsaber or the fact several people were shouting as if they were arguing. Then Master Windu disappeared from her sight, she had no idea where he had gone and darkness filled the back of her eyelids as she struggled to wake up. She heard some frying noise like lightning and screams of pain, she heard an evil laughter that made her skin crawl, she heard cries, multiple cries of young and old, all leading to an unnamable pain she couldn’t bear. She heard Padme’s pleading voice, Obi-Wan’s ordering tone and the angry, even hateful voice she couldn’t quite place but that reminded her a bit of her former Master. She felt a great pain in her chest as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs and felt like she couldn’t breathe but she was still a prisoner of her nightmare. She heard more screams and cries, she could literally feel the pain and the fear, she heard the noise of a lightsaber battle, she heard the cries of a baby and the voices of the different Senators she had met once or twice but it wasn’t enough for her to put a name on those voices. She heard fire burning and something more consistent like lava perhaps. She also heard a rasping, wheezing voice that seemed to be altered by some kind of mask, this voice was like ice in her veins. She heard the cries of different races whose lives had been cut short, she heard sirens, she heard blaster shots and clones giving orders. She heard running feet, desperate pleas, and anguished shouts. And a number. A number kept ringing in her ears. Sixty-six. But she had no idea what the kriff that meant.

Suddenly, she was able to break free from her nightmare and brutally sat in her bed, screaming. A few seconds later, she heard shuffling behind her door and a loud _thud_ which probably meant that Sax had rammed into her door, trying to open it.

“Fulcrum! Are you alright in there?” Geronimo asked. He seemed concerned.

Ahsoka ordered the door to open and the two pilots fell into the room, probably leaning against the door a few seconds ago. Had she been not drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Ashoka would have laughed.

“Yeah, I’m… fine.”

She tried to control her breathing, forcing her heart to beat slower.

“We heard you scream…” the Zabrak said as he was getting up, pushing Geronimo who was lying on top of him.

“Just had a nightmare.”

She didn’t manage to convince even herself, but the pilots seemed to have bought it and left her room. She tried to think about her visions and the first, normal parts were very clear, but the rest was a big blur of hatred and fear, pain and agony, death and fighting. She basically didn’t see much and everything she heard was just mixing up in her head, making no sense whatsoever. She tried to forget about it or at least ignore it but her mind wasn’t that kind and kept her up for most of the night. She eventually drifted back to sleep and woke up when the sun caressed her cheek through the half-closed shutters. She had overslept big time and it was near noon when she walked out of her room but at least she was rested and ready to fly. Neither Sax nor Geronimo said a thing about the last day in general and didn’t complain about the late time they left Terminus. They arrived during the night on Corellia and immediately went to bed and this time, Ahsoka didn’t see any visions as if they never existed in the first place.


	12. Bespin - Foless (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / two months after leaving the Jedi Order_

“Hey Crazy Ful! Why do Doctors make the best Jedi?”

Ahsoka sighed. But it wasn’t a _fed up sigh_ , it was a _used to sigh_. After all, it had been two months already since she starting working at _Star Jump_ and she got used to Sax’s jokes, especially those about Jedi or the Force. The Zabrak was still clueless about her former affiliation but since he kept making fun of her sense of justice and comparing her to the Knights serving the Republic, his jokes were often about Jedi.

Ahsoka knew also she was getting closer to the end of her contract and she felt conflicted about it. First because she really had grown accustomed to her coworkers and their personalities so different from her own. Second because she liked them and loved working with them even though they had their good share of trouble. And third because she was good at her job. But she also knew that her new cover had almost been blown up that one time on Manpha when she had seen Master Plo. It seemed to her more and more that working out in the open so soon after her trial and departure from the Order wasn’t such a good idea. She also wanted to try other things and simply piloting and fighting off Separatists was meant to get dull at some point. True, each mission was different and the Corellian Trade Spine was huge, she hadn’t been on every planet yet, but the missions weren’t as diverse as they were when she was a Padawan and she missed that aspect of her former life. There was also a risk a Separatist might recognize her.

“I don’t know this one yet, Sax.”

She had sighed but she also smiled although Sax couldn’t see it. That time, she had been sent to Bespin to collect some fifty bottles of Tibanna gas. They were supposed to meet the seller on one of the gas farms on orbit but Ahsoka had a bad feeling about that mission, like Master Kenobi would say. She heard rumors about pirates stealing the gas when decent people had bought it fair and square but, even though she was more cautious than usual, she wasn’t the kind to run away because of some possibly unfounded talk.

“Because a Jedi must have patience!”

They laughed and three jokes later, they arrived on Bespin, at the farm Bulack had given them the coordinates to. Everything seemed quiet, too quiet actually and Ahsoka landed her fighter on the open landing platform that was jutting from the flying farm. Sax followed her after taking his helmet off and they told the droid piloting the cargo ship to wait.

“There’s something wrong,” Ahsoka frowned and slowly approached the open gates to the farm, Sax on her tail.

“Relax! You worry too much! Just like that time on Manpha.”

“I had my reasons.”

Ahsoka’s tone was colder than usual and made it clear she wasn’t willing to talk about it. Sax might have been a prick and really annoying when it came to dating and flirting, but he didn’t try to pry in his partner’s past and simply shrugged, just like he always did. They crossed the open gates and entered the farm, going inside a building that looked like an office of some kind.

“Anybody’s home?” Sax yelled as he pushed open the door which was actually slightly open.

“Sax, wait!” Ahsoka said as she pushed the Zabrak to the side, setting in front of him just like she was used to do on the battlefield with weaker allies.

She hasn’t even realized she did that and Sax was about to protest because he was taller, stronger, older and, as sexist as it may sound, he was a male. Someone was inside the building, lying behind a metal desk and Ahsoka quickly looked around before kneeling next to the person. It was an Ugnaught. His face reminded her slightly of a pig with a bunch of grey hair. She had already met one of those people at the Jedi Temple actually, during the mission to the Citadel, it was an Ugnaught that had put the Jedi into carbonite. The man in front of her was about half the height of a regular human and was wearing blue overalls. He seemed dazed and had a bump on the head.

“Sir, are you alright?” Ahsoka asked as she gently lifted him up into a sitting position.

He groaned then shot his small hand to his forehead, wincing as his fingers found he bump. After a few seconds he noticed the two strangers clad in white.

“Who are you people? Are you with those pirates?” He spoke in basic but with a heavy and deep accent which made it difficult to tell the difference between certain letters.

He backed away and rose to his feet, swaying at first but then stood firmly when he leaned on the desk. Ahsoka also rose to her feet but the Ugnaught didn’t seem threatening and reached only her waist.

“We just came here. We’re from the _Corellian Star Jump Transport Corporation_! You signed a contract with captain Bulack a few days ago, remember?” Sax explained.

The Ugnaught nodded and then pulled out his small hand for them to shake.

“Sorry about that, I’m Garmondoz.”

“I’m Fulcrum and this is Sax. So what happened here? You mentioned pirates?”

“I’m sorry, but you’re too late. Pirates came in minutes ago and stole all the cargo I had prepared for you in the yard. I don’t have it anymore!”

Ahsoka bit her lips. Things would have looked very differently if Bulack hadn’t already paid for the Tibanna gas. The Ugnaught didn’t lose anything in the bargain, he simply gained a bump and a headache but Ahsoka and Sax were in trouble. They couldn’t just come back empty handed to Corellia and simply say to the captain they had been outsmarted by pirates. Not with the price of these bottles. But then again, the situation was out of their league and the Zabrak wasn’t used to this kind of improvisation, not when it involved probably a good two dozen pirates armed as if they were going to war. The only pirates Ahsoka could refer to actually were Hondo and his gang and that might not be such a good example. Sax started walking in circles around the room.

“We’re doomed! Bulack’s going to kill us! And do you know how much fuel we needed to get here in the first place? Our tanks are almost empty!”

Ahsoka was thinking hard. They had to act fast before those pirates disappeared completely. They couldn’t just transport all the fifty big gas bottles or tanks or whatever the container was called on small speeders. They had to be a certain group that would later regroup somewhere, probably on a ship in orbit not very far and still in the atmosphere, since speeder weren’t sealed for space travelling. Her guess was that a bigger ship was waiting nearby and once everyone was aboard, it would leave the atmosphere and jump into hyperspace. Now, the job of the two pilots was to stop them before they did that.

Ahsoka thanked the seller and left the building, dragging Sax by the arm. She told him her plan along the way to the landing platform.

“You’re kidding right? How in the universe will that work?” said Sax as he was about to talk to the pilot droid of the cargo ship.

“Don’t worry, I’ve managed to get out alive of riskier plans.”

The Zabrak didn’t ask from where she got that kind of reckless experience and crossed his arms instead.

“You want to steal the gas back from those pirates? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s only the two of us, not counting the droids. How do you expect us to take those thieves by surprise?”

“They won’t expect an attack and all you have to do is simply help me out. You’ll just have to take out the pirates that would try to stop me, meaning you’ll have to have my back. I’ll be the one to get exposed, I’ll get the gas onto the ship and if a blast gets in my way, I’m the only one that might be blown up. Well, if you’re smart enough to fly away if that was to happen.”

“I’m not the kind to stick my neck this far in some improvised plan at the last minute!”

“Then that’s probably why you screwed so many of your missions. Because you lack the creativity of improvisation and will to take risks to get the job done!” Ahsoka wasn’t proud of her words but every second that passed made her more anxious to set her plan in motion before it was too late to even see the pirates’ ship take off.

“What happened to the virtuous Jedi Knight and your wise sense of justice? Really, stealing?”

“Stealing from a thief isn’t stealing.” And it wouldn’t be the first time she got back something she had lost.

Sax eventually sighed and agreed. “Alright! But we better not blow anything up!”

Ahsoka smiled and got into her fighter. The plan was simple. She was the first to go in and find an opening, they she’d reach the place where the gas was stocked. Hopefully it would be in a landing bay inside the ship: she was actually expecting the ship to have some sort of big landing bay, maybe not the size of a Republican cruiser but still, big enough to have some room in case things didn’t turn out the way she expected them too and she knew they never did follow the original plan anyway.

Sax got into his fighter and they set off, the cargo ship behind them. Ashoka asked her R2 unit to search for any life forms in the atmosphere and R6P4 quickly located some thirty tiny spots on her screen. They got closer and after a while, a huge ship appeared among the clouds. It was just as big as Hondo’s spinning flying plate. She even wondered if it could be Hondo but from what she knew, the good old pirate was having trouble since Grievous took over Florrum and destroyed his fleet and killed most of his men. Tides were turning and the future in business didn’t seem so bright for the Onaka gang.

When they got close enough, some pirates on speeders saw them and attacked them but they could do nothing against top-class fighters and a particularly frustrated Zabrak that was so anxious he had stopped joking and remained silent. Ashoka landed in the landing bay and quickly got out of her fighter as Sax was watching her back as promised. He shot the pirates of all races that came at the Togruta as she was bringing the gas bottles one by one into the cargo ship but he didn’t dare shoot to close to the bottle in case he missed. Luckily for him, Ahsoka had her vibrobaldes in her boots and was able to defend herself without having to use the Force. She took a habit of doing that since they got attacked on Gerrenthum a few weeks back.

She had loaded forty-five bottles when an explosion came from the back where the last remaining bottles had just been blown off by one of the pirates probably not on purpose.

“What about the remaining bottles?” Sax asked as Ahsoka ordered the pilot droid to set off and jumped quickly in her own fighter before the fire of the explosion spread across the bay or the emergency doors were closed, trapping them inside with the flames and pirates.

“Forget about them, they’re gone! Bulack will have to do with a little less than what was planned!”

The left the pirate ship and made a break for space. Once they were there, they jumped to light speed in the direction of Foless. They stopped on Kriselist to refuel although they could have done it on Kaal which was closer to Bespin but the prices were way higher than on Kriselist. Once their fuel tanks were full, they flew to Foless to deliver the gas to the client. The guy was really disappointed that five bottles were missing and didn’t want to hear a thing about through how much trouble they had gotten to actually have some of the cargo rather than nothing. He even complained about the quality of the bottles and only paid half the price. Ahsoka was tempted to use her Jedi mind tricks on him to make him pay the amount for the forty-five bottles which would have been slightly less than what was planned but decided against it, not wanting to blow her cover.

When Sax threatened to punch the client if he didn’t pay the full price, the latter called security and Ahsoka had trouble getting the Zabrak out of that one since local authorities were involved. In the end, since no one got hurt, Sax was released after two hours of interrogations and waiting in a cell. Bulack wasn’t pleased to hear about the half price they came back with and Ahsoka felt his trust in her waver a bit. He yelled at them both and Geronimo could be seen repairing his fighter in the distance. The captain was even less pleased when he learned Sax had gotten into trouble with the local police. That evening, he yelled even louder than the time on Devaron.


	13. Mechis III (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / two months and two weeks after leaving the Jedi Order_

“Boy am I glad to be away!” Geronimo let out. “Sax was getting on my nerves!”

Ahsoka had no idea what the Zabrak was complaining about because he actually never did. And since Geronimo’s quarters were closer to his than Ahsoka’s, the Corellian was the first to know.

“What’s happening this time?” she laughed.

“Well, that moron finally realized that his pay check is diminishing because of his stupidity and he started complaining about it almost loud enough for Bulack to hear. I know that our captain is not perfect, but Sax had it coming for being so reckless. If he starts to yell at Bulack, no matter in how much need of a pilot the captain is, he’ll fire him and then Sax will have a real reason to complain.”

Ahsoka smiled and get on flying but through hyperspace, she had actually nothing to do, as long as she didn’t change anything on the dash or touch the hyperdrive. She had only two weeks left before the end of her contract and the more she thought about it, the more she realized she wouldn’t want to prolong it. She wanted to do something else and their mission on Foless had left a bitter taste in her mouth even though it wasn’t technically their fault.

“You seem to know him very well. How long have you been working together?”

“Well, I’d say some good five years if not more. I had just started as a pilot although I already made a name for myself on Corellia, nothing too important, just some crash testing, and I met that guy in a bar in Coronet City. He was drunk out of his mind and kept on asking ladies out, swinging his travelling bag and yelling to whoever wanted to hear that he’ll be the greatest pilot the galaxy has ever known. I guess I don’t need to tell you that guy was Sax.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Ahsoka laughed a little more.

“I just came to have a drink and when he saw my uniform, he came to me or rather stumbled to my table. I had just started working for _Star Jump_ and he told me he liked the stars on the logo, that he wanted the same uniform. Well, I gave him the coordinates and next thing I knew, he talked to Bulack. It took Sax a while to earn the captain’s trust, but eventually it worked.”

“Before I got the job offer from Bulack, he told me one of his pilots had deserted. What happened to that guy?”

“His name was Omafyr and he was the only Nautolan I knew that could fly. He had been working for _Star Jump_ before even I came in and Bulack almost considered him as his own son. It was actually Omafyr who did a lot of improvement on our _C-21 Starfighters_ , he tested them and all. He actually had a sad past, something about a certain disease that raged in his family, killed all the members one by one if they didn’t stay on their native planet where the cure plant could be found. But Omafyr’s dream had been to fly and he was very good at it. But his health got worst every year and then every month. Before we knew it, he was dying. Sax and I told him to tell Bulack about it, somehow he managed to keep it from the old geezer. But when he refused, we told him to go to his planet, take a vacation or something to get better and then come back. If the cure for that disease was to have some medicine from time to time, then he could probably take some with him or even go to his planet from time to time. It didn’t seem that hard to do for us. Then one day, he just vanished.”

Ahsoka could hear and feel all the sadness in Geronimo’s voice and the emptiness that Omafyr had left. She suddenly felt bad about potentially leaving the guys since she seemed to have filled the Nautolan’s place in their small group.

“Omafyr disappeared with one of Bulack’s fighters and the captain lost a kriff of a lot money that day along with a priceless fighter and his best pilot. That’s why he’s so protective over the remaining fighters, because with the current position of the company, he can’t lose another one. Well that was the case after Omafyr left at least and before you came. Just the two of us, we couldn’t achieve much and Sax started messing around more and more after our friend’s departure. He’s still acting up but a little less now.”

He sighed and Ahsoka could imagine him take his head in his hands if not for the helmet.

“I swear, that idiot worries me sometimes! He’s going to get himself killed some day!”

“Yeah, well, I had a friend who was very reckless too, always doing the most dangerous things in the most dangerous ways and having the most fun at the same time. At first, he worried me but then I realized that I was actually starting to be like him and that it was just fine. Because he was strong and brave and would never turn on others. He wasn’t perfect, far from it, but I’m glad I met him and that he taught me so many things.”

It was Ahsoka’s turn to get emotional. She never thought she’d speak about her former Master like that but now that she had some distance, she could draw some conclusions about their relationship and her apprenticeship. She missed him, and with Lux, he was the person she wanted to see most. She hated herself for hurting him but she had to leave and she knew that, in time, he would be fine. That he was strong and would get over it. He also had Obi-Wan and especially Padme to help. Ahsoka knew about their little secret, she had actually known for some time. At first, she simply suspected that something might be going on between them but after several missions where Padme was involved, Ahsoka just knew. She could feel how much the Senator meant to Anakin, almost literally. She wished them well and it didn’t surprise her at all that her former Master had broken even such an important Jedi rule like that. After all, he was, no they were used to break rules, it had gotten to Ahsoka too which probably wasn’t a good thing. But knowing that Anakin had gone that far made it less difficult to think about Lux. Now the situation was completely different, but if someday she decided to return to the Jedi, she now had the proof that such a secret relationship could work even if it was a hard way to live.

They were suddenly out of hyperspace and arrived on Mechis III, a rock half full of lava, half of cities. Ahsoka wondered how people could live there. It reminded her too much of Mustafar and she promised herself not to stay too long on the planet. She got out of her fighter and joined Geronimo. This time, they had to deliver special metal plates and circuits needed for the creation of a new type of droid. That’s why they had landed on the landing platform of one of the biggest Mechis droid factory. Ahsoka immediately hated the place. She wasn’t used to go undercover in such an environment; usually she just smashed everything inside a place like that, cutting every droid part in tiny pieces. Her mind was already preparing to scrap the two droids coming their way until she realized she didn’t have her lightsabers anymore. She still had her vibroblades in her boots but Geronimo’s presence reminded her of her mission. She wasn’t part of the Jedi Order anymore. She couldn’t just bring out her old habits for the world to see just because the place upset her.

They each grabbed a crate, it was actually their smallest delivery and explained to the droids why they were there. After checking codes and other protocol stuff, they were allowed to enter the factory and Ahsoka frowned when the droids didn’t escort them. As stupid as ever, she thought. They walked through the corridors until they reached the room they were told they could leave the crates in.

That’s when Ahsoka heard two droids talking outside the room. Although she perfectly understood the usual beeping of droids, these two were talking in basic and looked just like the common Separatists’s battle droids. The kind that talked too much and wasn’t bright at all. They were talking about some kind of delivery of a new type of droid that should soon be made to General Grievous. Ahsoka’s blood felt like ice in her veins. The parts they had just brought would be used to create a new weapon for Dooku and she had helped provide it. She couldn’t let that happen. She turned to Geronimo who heard the conversation too.

“I’m sorry, Gero, but I can’t let this go. Not now that I know for whom this droids will be made. I may have turned my back on my past, but I can’t let this happen. So much could be at stake, that I just have to do something.”

Geronimo nodded.

“I haven’t met that General Grievous personally but I’ve heard he’s a nasty dude. I’m no friend of the Separatists either.”

“Well, he’s not just another tiny as I once thought he was, but I was able to hold my ground against him. I had no chance of winning though,” Ahsoka quickly added when she saw Geronimo’s amazed look, “I was barely capable to hold him off.”

“That’s a story you’ll have to tell me once we get out of here. So, what do you want to do with that?”

He indicated the two crates. Ahsoka started walking out of the room.

“We can’t blow them off otherwise it will all fall back on Bulack, whether because he sabotaged the products or they were flawed. We’ll have to do something with the droids themselves, not the parts.”

She looked at the two droids and waited for them to leave the corridor. Then she noticed two cameras and motioned for Geronimo to follow her.

“We’ll have to be careful and subtle, every inch of that factory is probably watched,” she whispered and the Corellian nodded. “But I’ve got an idea. Follow my lead.”

Although Ahsoka had never been in that particular factory before, she knew exactly where to go. All the droid factories had more or less the same patterns and she had destroyed enough to know her way inside one. They reached what looked like a huge door leading somewhere important. Ahsoka hoped it was the central command unit of the assembly lines, where all the precious buttons and levers were simply waiting to be pressed and pulled.

“I’ll use the Force to change a few things but I need you to distract whoever’s inside. Make them believe we’ve just delivered the goods but we’re lost and can’t find our way to the landing platform. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Geronimo nodded, his face all serious and they entered the control room which was exactly what Ashoka had expected. Bingo! Droids were working behind screens and control panels and one of them turned to the pair.

“What are you doing here? This is a restricted area!” he said with his flat droid voice.

Geronimo was very convincing with his lies and told the droid they had lost their way. Meanwhile Ahsoka used the Force, hiding her hands behind Gero’s back, to push a few levers after examining the room. She could see through a glass panel all the assemble lines and the design of the new kind of droid, it was actually lacking a few pieces. She didn’t like it one bit. She also Force-pushed a few buttons and when things started to beep wildly around them, every droid blamed the other. On the other side of the glass, Ahsoka could see the lines stop working and the droids being dropped to the ground. Some crashes could be heard and the droid talking to them led them outside and to their ship.

Once they were in the atmosphere, Geronimo talked again.

“So, how did we do?”

“Great, you’re a very good liar by the way, take it as a compliment in our situation. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we did a lot to hinder the Separatists. Sure, it will take them some time to do the repairs and start the assembly lines again, but in the end, they will do it nonetheless. Some droid heads will fall, that’s certain, but Grievous will still get his droids. But in our position, we couldn’t do more. I wish we could have done more but I don’t want to compromise the company.”

They left Mechis III without saying another word, Sax not being there to fill the silence with his usual jokes which made the way back very long and boring.


	14. Kaal - Part 1 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months after leaving the Jedi Order_

Ahsoka had a few days left before the end of her contract. Sure, she had thought about what she would do afterwards but all that thinking led her to nowhere. Actually the more she thought about it the less she could find an answer. She decided not to worry too much, after all, she had literally bumped into that job. She knew she was lucky but she trusted in the Force and believed that nothing happened by accident. If that was the will of the Force, then she knew she’d find her way somehow and find herself a place in this big wide galaxy. Maybe not right away, but she was sure that in time everything would be fine.

She was also sure her current mission was the last one. She was alone this time, Sax’s jokes and Geronimo’s memories weren’t there to distract her and the droid in the cargo ship wasn’t much of a talker. Bulack’s trust in her seemed to have come back in the last couple of weeks though. Sax was sure it was because that Ugnaught on Bespin had told some good about the two pilots’ work and the captain relaxed. They hadn’t been attacked on Mechis III, they actually hadn’t been attacked in a while so Bulack was cheerful every day. He was certain that the war would come to an end very soon but Ahsoka realized he had no idea what was going on in the Senate and the Togruta wasn’t going to tell him how wrong he was. She wasn’t a big fan of politics but things were escalating in the galaxy, throwing the peace even more out of balance than it already was.

She watched the Senate discussions every day and saw Lux, Bail Organa and even Padme struggle to stop extremists. Ahsoka was really surprised to discover that Padme was pregnant. Even though the Senator from Naboo was trying to hide it with wide and majestic clothes, the bump on her stomach was there for everyone to see. It seemed to Ahsoka that Padme was at least five months pregnant and she wondered who the father was, even though she guessed it was Anakin.

She entered the atmosphere of Kaal, followed by the cargo ship. She had already been on Kaal and knew the planet or rather cluster of islands. Last time she had been there she had delivered precious metals on the main archipelago, something about redecorating the casino owned by Trendoshians. She still had a grudge against those guys even if not all of them were hunters. She was getting closer to the ground, her fighter still above the bright blue ocean, nearing the main archipelago when someone from Kaal contacted her.

“Fighter, state your name and business.”

She recognized the specific slithering of Trendoshians in the man’s voice. It made her skin crawl but she answered nonetheless.

“This is _C-21 Starfighter n°4_ from the _Corellian Star Jump Transport Company_. I’m bound to deliver a cargo: three dozen barrels of the finest cooler from Coruscant.”

She waited for the clearance codes which were really not so complicated. With the Clones, she was used to stuff more complicated than that while flying. Usually she had several lines of clearance codes to learn by heart for each mission, those codes had actually mostly been created by Rex and Cody and she remembered how much fun they had doing so. But this time she didn’t have time to spill her codes.

“You are not authorized to land.”

“But you’ve already signed the contract with Captain Bulack on…”

“Well things have changed; we cannot allow you to land or get away.”

And that was the end of it. Before Ahsoka knew it, the guns of the closest turret turned to face her and shot down the cargo ship that exploded and all the booze with it. The blast of the explosion pushed her fighter to the side and she turned it back, about to make a run for the atmosphere. Her reflexes kicked in and she did evasive maneuvers as the turret tried to shoot her down. She would have gone away if a Trendoshian hadn’t come out of the rear of the casino where the turrets were and fired a missile at her. Her fighter was good and she was a great pilot but she was too close to avoid it. She had no cover like an asteroid field or other flying objects she could use as a shield.

The missile hit her rear right engine and destroyed her shields. She heard her R2 unit beep in fright and panic and sweat poured down Ahsoka’s face as she tightened her grip on the steering handles.

“I know, I know! We’re going down!”

She couldn’t contact Bulack because her communications were fried the moment she had lost the cargo ship and the droid. She also didn’t have her gloves and comlink, she had decided not to bring them on that last mission, thinking she wouldn’t need them. It was supposed to be a routine op, she was planning on being back by nightfall. She didn’t want to stop for the night, only planned on refuel before hitting hyperspace again.

Ahsoka tried to stabilize the ship but the explosion of her right engine ignited the left one and she was about to crash. She knew the fighter might explode at any moment that’s why she ejected herself before hitting the ocean’s surface. Her fighter broke apart in the water and unfortunately the droid didn’t manage to get out. Strapped to her seat, she also landed in the water and almost drowned while trying to free herself from the bonds. The parachute had also covered her, cutting her from the air. She eventually managed to cut her bonds with one of her vibroblades that she always took with her since Bespin and dived under the parachute that kept floating on the surface. A good dozen feet away, she broke the ocean’s surface and gasped for air. Luckily the Jedi had taught her how to swim.

Ahsoka looked around her and saw only ocean and a few islands in the distance. They weren’t that far away but she still had to swim for a certain time. The effort drained all her strength and she collapsed on some beach after taking her helmet off. It was part of the main archipelago that had the casino but it wasn’t that close which gave her at least an hour, two tops to hide from the Trandoshians. How they had gotten the monopoly of the casino, she had no idea and actually didn’t want to know. All that she cared about was that they would be coming for her. Well maybe not for her, but they would certainly check the crash site and since her fighter was slowly sinking, she assumed they would consider her dead. The parachute wouldn’t also stay afloat forever, not with the seat dragging it down.

Lying on her back in the sand, her arms wide open and her chest rising and falling quickly from the effort, she looked at the bright blue sky. How could something so horrible happen to her in this tropical and peaceful paradise? It seemed completely out of place and unimaginable but it had occurred, there was no denying that. As she stared at the sky, she didn’t even think about _Star Jump_ , Bulack or the fact that this mission was now truly her last because for screwing that much she was certain to be fired. If she managed to go back to Corellia in one piece to retrieve her belongings, that is. She didn’t care about the consequences or if it was her fault or not, her mind only raced to allow her to survive. That’s all she was concentrating on at the moment. Last time she had been stranded on her own, it was also because of Trandoshians. She couldn’t help but smirk at the irony.

Ahsoka needed to move and so she rose to her feet. The sand stuck to her wet clothes like night bugs to a light. She wasn’t cold because of the tropical climate but she knew she had to change clothes. Her white uniform was too recognizable. She tried to get the communicator in her helmet working but ended up burying the whole thing in the sand. She then opened her vest to make her look more casual and revealing her black top underneath. She had to find a new set of clothes, find a ship and reach Corellia, all that without the Trendoshians noticing her presence. She didn’t think it was impossible because that word wasn’t part of her vocabulary, thanks to Anakin.

After checking the bag attached to the back of her belt and sliding her vibroblade back in her boot, she started walking towards some sort of shack at the end of the beach. She frowned after realizing the beach was empty but since it was one of the islands at the edge of the archipelago, tourists weren’t probably coming there very often which also explained the poor state of the shack.

An old human man was sitting inside behind a wooden counter, a necklace of flowers around his neck and sunglasses on his eyes. From his position sprawled on the counter Ahsoka guessed he was sleeping but she wasn’t sure. She shook him and he woke with a start. He was truly surprised to see her there, starting telling her that pretty much no one came on that island anymore and seemed to be glad to have some company. He accepted to trade her uniform and boots for a skirt and tank top with tropical flowers. She then bought light shoes, a straw-hat and sunglasses to blend in more easily. As the old man was cutting holes in the hat for her montrals, she explained to him why and how she stranded not far from his island. The old man seemed trustworthy and even offered her a cocktail on the house.

“Well, the casino has always been a nasty business, even before those lizards came and took over it. It’s a good attraction for wealthy tourists, but it destroys the charm of the archipelago. Believe me, young lady, things were different when I was you age!”

Ahsoka kept looking around once in a while to see if the Trandoshians were looking for her but she saw no one. After a meal that she devoured, she accepted to sleep in a corner of the shack for the night and waited until the old man was fast asleep which didn’t take too much time. She was exhausted so she fell asleep rather quickly herself but she always slept lightly, just in case anything happened. The next day after a sweet breakfast, Ahsoka left a few extra credits on the counter when the old man wasn’t looking and rented a small boat to the next island.


	15. Kaal - Part 2 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months after leaving the Jedi Order_

It wasn’t actually that hard to blend in with all the tourists that roamed almost aimlessly the main archipelago and especially the main island of the latter. Ahsoka simply had to giggle every once in a while, pretend to be wealthy and silly and no one noticed her. It took her only half a day to get to the main island, the one that had all the casinos, but one stood above all others: the _Blackjack Casino_. Ahsoka didn’t exactly know where did the transmission just before her crash come from, but last time she was on Kaal for a mission, she had been at the _Blackjack Casino_ , or at least at the landing bay near it.

She wasn’t the type to judge people according to their wealth. Of course she judged. She had judged Steela right away after her harsh words concerning Lux’s trust in the Togruta and if she was truly worthy of such trust and Ahsoka mainly judged people based on their actions and behavior. For example, she found the tourists silly and stupid and she followed the flow until the coast was clear. She eyed the Trendoshians carefully but the lizards didn’t leave the main casino very often. At some point she had heard two of them talking outside, near a back entrance as she was giddily crossing the street. They had been talking about the fighter that crashed into the ocean, saying they didn’t find anything suspicious and that the body had probably been dragged to the seafloor along with the rest of the fighter. So they technically weren’t looking for her anymore.

Ahsoka also realized that not everyone was happy about the presence of the lizards although they didn’t seem to be doing any damage or causing trouble, simply owning most of the place. Nobody recognized her. Everyone just seemed to have a blast and enjoyed the sun, Ahsoka wasn’t even sure these people knew what was happening in the rest of the galaxy. They probably didn’t care much actually and maybe it was for the best. She shuddered at the thought of those silly billionaires passing laws. No good would come from that would it to happen, that was certain.

After a while, she learned that a ship was leaving for Corellia the next day. There were plenty of ships leaving almost every five minutes actually during the day and a good part of the night as if the island never slept. But most of those ships were headed to other destinations of the Corellian Trade Spine like Kinyen, Harrin or Yag’Dhul and all those destinations were in the control of the Separatists. She had had a mission on Kinyen before and that was a risky one, besides, the control of the Separatists at that time wasn’t as strong. She could always board a ship for Naboo but she was unwilling to travel to destinations where she could easily be recognized and it reminded her too much of Padme. The second problem was that those tickets to get off the planet were, for most of them, already bought and were generally expensive. Actually more than Ahsoka had with her and probably more than the total pay at the end of her contract. She was planning on forcing her way out with a little help from some mind tricks she knew very well but she still had to wait for the next day.

She entered a hotel and asked about the price for the cheapest room for just one night. She almost chocked on the price.

“Two hundred credits for one night?!”

But she quickly regained her composure and left the place, not wanting to sell herself out. She was about to leave when she saw a very unusual situation unfold at the reception so she hide in an adjacent corridor to watch it. A group of five gentlemen had arrived and seemed to be on Kaal for business; Ahsoka recognized their races but couldn’t put a name on them all. She was fluent in several languages like basic, Togrutan and binary to understand droids, she could also speak Wookie and a few other dialects but she wasn’t a protocol droid. Speaking about protocol droids, she didn’t see the one that was supposed to accompany the group that clearly didn’t speak basic.

That’s when she noticed her. A young Twi’lek, probably around fifteen years old, was translating for the five gentlemen. She had light blue skin and some dark blue dots or rather beauty spots on her bare shoulders, the external sides of her wrists and the edges of her small nose. She was dressed in a light purple multilayer dress that seemed to be floating with every single one of her movements. She seemed very confident but Ahsoka couldn’t shake the fact that she seemed too young to be in that kind of business. It’s only when she remembered that Jedi were pretty much the same age when they became Padawans that she chased that thought away.

After a few more sentences that the Twi’lek translated to each member of the group that represented a different race, she led them to the reception and Ahsoka frowned. She didn’t get much of the conversation but she had heard the last part very clearly and the girl had made a mistake. She translated wrong the hour the five gentlemen were supposed to meet again at some place in the hotel, probably a conference room or something like that.

Ahsoka watched the five gentlemen disappear in the elevator as the Twi’lek bowed gracefully and left the hotel once they were out of sight. She walked with confidence and assurance as if nothing in the universe could stop her. That is, until Ahsoka ran into her or rather caught her by the arm before dragging her to the side of the hotel where no one was watching. Usually, Ahsoka wouldn’t have done that, the girl’s ability to translate was none of her business but she had a bad feeling about all this. Something told her to get that situation clear, to look into it, whether it was the Force or her own instincts, she had no idea. But she wasn’t going to let that girl get away without a good explanation.

“Let go of me!” yelled the girl for the tenth time.

Ahsoka finally let go of her arm and pulled her right vibroblade out from under her skirt just long enough for the girl to see it before putting it back.

“I don’t want to hurt you but I need to ask you something. I don’t intent to chase you if you run away but I won’t hesitate if it comes to this.”

“Who are you?” The Twi’lek crossed her skinny arms on her chest. “Let me guess, a bounty hunter. You don’t look like one though,” she said, eyeing Ahsoka up and down. “Who hired you, Tass’lik maybe?”

“I have no idea who that is but no, I’m not here to gun you or hunt you down. I need to know why you lied to those men. I understood what you told them and you lied about the time of the meeting this evening. Why?”

The Twi’lek was taken aback and stepped back but some random patrol came next to them, simply passing by but looking at them all the same. Ahsoka started laughing as she lowered her head, her straw-hat hiding her face and intentions. The girl pretended she said something funny and kept on talking nonsense until the patrol was gone. They were serious again after that.

“That’s none of your business,” the girl simply said.

She seemed to want to sound threatening and cold but Ahsoka immediately saw through her defenses because, she might be older than her, but she saw herself in that girl. The Twi’lek was acting in the same way Ahsoka had been acting during her first mission with Anakin on Tatooine. She was acting tough to prove to the world she was ready for whatever mission she had been assigned to. And that blue Twi’lek was doing exactly the same thing.

“It becomes my business when you’re about to get yourself killed. Those gentlemen were not simple wealthy and silly businessmen! They might not look like that, but I’m pretty sure they are all crime lords of other planets. Kaal is known for its casinos, tropical climate and underground activities, you know?”

The Twi’lek bit her lips as Ahsoka continued.

“They each have at least one squad of personal guards dispatched on every level of the hotel and probably even on the entire island. Each of them has a way out, a transport waiting to take off at any minute and I wouldn’t even be surprised to discover they made a deal with those damned Trandoshians.”

“That’s Bantha shit!”

“No, it’s true. That Falleen you talked to last, he was carrying twin blasters under his jacket and the two supposed servants constantly buzzing around him also had weapons. The sort of huge spider…”

“He’s a Harch…”

“Yeah, well, you get the picture and don’t even get me started on the Weequay! Girl, I don’t know in what kind of trouble you got yourself into, especially for someone so young, but you better have a plan B in case things start blowing up which they will around so many scum.”

The Twi’lek’s gaze fled Ahsoka’s.

“So you’re saying there’s absolutely no way I could get my plan to work?”

It was Ahsoka’s turn to cross her arms.

“And what was your plan?”

The girl seemed nervous and tugged on the point of her left lek that reached the middle of her back.

“Well, I was planning on joining the Weequay in his quarters, seduce him and knock him out before stealing some intel.”

“Intel? What are you a spy?”

“Not exactly.”

Ahsoka sighed and swiftly covered her eyes with her hand.

“Oh boy, what did I get myself into?”

That sentence seemed to bring the Twi’lek back to reality and she caught Ahsoka’s arm.

“But you were able to assess the danger! I mean you saw the blasters and got the patterns of their security! You could help me get the intel! I’m sure it would be a piece of cake for you, you just look like a fighter!” She eyed Ahsoka a second time, noticing her tourist attire. “Well, sort of. Come on! Help me out please!”

“Oh now you want me to help you? That’s a death trap! There’s no way I could protect you with that many probably highly trained bodyguards! Not without my lightsa…”

She slapped herself mentally for almost spilling it out and bit the inside of her cheek instead until she felt blood.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not gonna happen.”

The Twi’lek’s eyes were filled with sadness but she seemed to get it and simply shrugged.

“That’s okay I guess… Taiilyrra told me it was a suicide mission anyway…” the girl muttered to herself.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Well, obviously not continue my mission. I got a transport waiting, but it won’t come before nightfall so I have to hold until that.”

At that, Ahsoka’s attention was brought back to the Twi’lek.

“I suppose you won’t tell me who you’re working for, right?” The girl shook her head and Ahsoka sighed. She could feel not connection to the Force coming from her though so she was neither Jedi or Sith. “Do you think that transport of yours would have a small place for me? Because those that decide the tickets prices here are out of their minds! Besides I have to reach Corellia as soon as possible.”

“Well Corellia isn’t exactly on our way but I’m sure I’ll figure something out with the pilot. Come on, let’s get something to eat while we wait! You know I like you. I’ll help you get off this rock.”

The Twi’lek then started walking back to the busy street and Ahsoka reluctantly followed her. The girl seemed to be in a rather good mood for someone whose secret operation just got busted.

“I’m Jynna by the way,” she told Ahsoka, a wide smile spreading on her face and moving the beauty spots on her nose around in a half-moon.

“Fulcrum,” Ahsoka replied automatically.

The girl then took her by the arm, sliding her own under Ahsoka’s as if they were the best of pals and they entered the busy street, blending in with the silly tourists.


	16. Kaal - Part 3 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months after leaving the Jedi Order_

“And I was just hanging there off the balcony until they walked away! These sixty seconds were the longest of my entire life!” Jynna said, laughing as she threw her head back, her white teeth shining in the light cast by the flames dancing on a pole to her right.

Ahsoka had spent the rest of the day with Jynna and the young Twi’lek had treated her to dinner. They were sitting on a bench outside a nice and not so popular restaurant, sipping coconut water and eating grilled fish with pineapples and passion fruit. Jynna now wore a necklace of tropical flowers and had put one of them on top of Ahsoka’s straw-hat which the Togruta refused to take off. The Twi’lek had been the one mostly talking, telling her stories about her life and some embarrassing moments during missions. Ahsoka still had no idea who the girl worked for and why she had almost found her in such a dire situation, but she knew that the girl mostly salvaged intel that her boss sold to interested parties.

“I can’t tell you about my missions and all, but I can tell you about some parts of my life. I’m not supposed to do this, this job or whatever; my parents would have a heart attack if they knew. But it’s been harsh lately and I’m actually good at collecting info and making people talk. Being an interpreter helps and allows me to fool people. Today’s mission was actually out of my league and it’s the first this hard. Usually it’s nothing major, I just translate for Senators and leaders, sometimes crime lords but it had never been so dangerous before. Well except for that time on the balcony but how was I supposed to know my target was about to get laid?”

Ahsoka laughed. It was an honest laugh and she could just picture the Twi’lek hanging off the balcony, hoping she wouldn’t be seen or see anything for that matter. Jynna was acting silly and seemed to be full of energy, but the more time she spent with her, the more Ahsoka wondered if the Twi’lek wasn’t actually acting like her true self. She wasn’t acting all business like just like in the hotel; she was more casual and joyful even if she wouldn’t tell her secrets.

“So how old are you? You said your parents don’t know about your little schemes, how do you manage to hide that from them?” the Togruta asked.

“I’m fourteen. And it’s been more than five years since my parents are in the ground.”

Ahsoka was about to apologize but Jynna didn’t let her and smiled it away.

“My mom was an interpreter like me, she taught me twenty different languages and forms of communication.”

“Wow, that’s impressive!”

“I know, right?” Jynna suddenly seemed excited and very proud. “My dad was a mechanic, always crazy about droids. We had a shop on Nar Shaddaa but since they’re gone, I had trouble keeping the shop in one piece. Most of the security measures are still working, that’s what allows me to travel and leave the shop unattended, but Tass’lik wants it. Some random day he decided he wanted the tools in my father’s shop and kept harassing me about it. If not for some of my friends, he would have gotten them long ago. But enough talking about me, what do you do? You don’t look like a tourist.”

Ahsoka bit her lips as the Twi’lek innocently sipped her coconut water. The Togruta found herself starring at those bright golden eyes and she simply couldn’t bring herself to lie to that innocent angel. She was about to tell she was a former Jedi when she snapped out of it and looked at Jynna once again. She was still the same but something about her was different now that Ahsoka was aware of her charms. The Twi’lek just looked normal if she didn’t stare into her big innocent eyes surrounded by lustful and long eyelashes.

“You’re a devilish little one, aren’t you?”

Jynna smiled and shrugged.

“Well, I can get pretty much what I want from people. My mother told me we female Twi’lek can have a lot of charm and I try to use that to my advantage without stepping over the line. It doesn’t work well with people who know me and about this little secret; also it doesn’t work on strong minds.”

“Just like Jedi mind tricks,” sighed Ahsoka and drank a bit more coconut water although hers was spiked with a bit of rum, compliments from the house.

“Yeah, exactly!” Jynna replied although she didn’t make the connection. “So what were you doing here on Kaal? That’s not even close to the Togruta planets. By the way, Shili or Kiros?”

“Shili. And I was actually working for a Corellian company before I crashed. That’s why I need to get to Corellia as soon as possible, even though I think that at this point, I’m doomed. I’ll get fired for sure, I mean I lost all the cargo _and_ my fighter _and_ my droid!”

Ahsoka sighed again and pressed her glass against her temple, lifting her straw-hat a little. For the first time since the crash, she realized how deep in a mess she was. There was no way she would keep her job. She wasn’t planning to at first, she was ready to go by the end of her contract which was actually supposed to happen the next day, but she didn’t want to leave _Star Jump_ on bad terms. She wanted at least to say goodbye to everybody and not leave like a thief.

“So you’re a pilot?”

“Yeah, and I’m good with repairs too…” Ahsoka tried to sound enthusiastic but she simply couldn’t. Maybe the alcohol was finally hitting her blood stream.

“We could use someone like you on Nar Shaddaa.”

“I know, I heard that before…”

“Anyway, once my pilot’s here we’ll see with him but it shouldn’t be a problem to step by Corellia. I mean, it’s not like we’re wanted or something so it should be fine. We should actually get moving right now, I don’t want to miss the check in.”

Ahsoka lazily left the bench and a few credits on the wooden bar before following Jynna who knew where she was going. They reached the landing bay but instead of getting closer to the ships, the young Twi’lek followed the streets that were still busy but not as much as during rush hours. The sky was now a dark shade of blue, a little darker than Ahsoka’s lekku stripes. They walked for what seemed like hours, circling the landing bay until they found a small empty beach. A ship was waiting there and Ahsoka stopped dead in her tracks when she read her name. In front of her was the _Stellar Reef_ also known as the _Stella_ and a certain someone was leaning against her left side.

“Well well, if that isn’t a sight to behold! Jynna, I know you’re good with surprises but I never expected you’d find my good old friend Fulcrum here!” Max said, uncrossing his arms and coming to greet the two ladies walking in the sand.

“You know each other?” The Twi’lek seemed pleased and surprised at the same time.

“Yeah, met her on Myrkr. It’s been a while though. So, did you find that job you were looking for?”

“Actually, Jawa-tooka, I’m about to lose it if I haven’t already so why don’t we leave the happy reunion for later and take me to Corellia, will you? I’ve had a rough couple of days, you know, crashing in the middle of the ocean and all.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Max said and led them inside. They made themselves comfortable as best as they could and the _Stella_ took off for Corellia. Ahsoka really didn’t trust Max or Jynna enough to sleep sound in their company but she couldn’t help falling asleep after a few hours.

* * *

 

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” Max said as Ashoka was stretching next to him in the copilot seat.

“It’s alright, I was prepared for it and wouldn’t sign another contract anyway. Three months was a good test to see if I’d like it,” the Togruta replied.

She had been worried about Max at first because he hadn’t slept through the whole journey to Corellia from Kaal and now wasn’t sleeping either. But he had assured her he was fine and that before picking them up on that beach, he had slept through the whole day so he was rested.

“And?”

“Well, I like being a pilot but that’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life, not when I’m just sixteen, well, nearly seventeen now.”

Max didn’t try to ask her what her birthday was because he was sure she wouldn’t tell him. He was about to say something but she talked first after quickly glancing at Jynna who was still sleeping in the back. She had collapsed a little before Corellia and slept through Ahsoka’s brief passage on the planet. She hadn’t woken since.

“The thing is, I’ve done so many things in my life, Max! So many different and interesting things, I’ve had experiences normal people would never dream of having, I’ve been to some incredible places, I’ve met amazing people and I’ve seen some beautiful and horrible things. I’ve seen bloodshed, I’ve lost so many people and if I were to write my biography right now it would take me years to tell everything! And I really love flying, it reminds me of… _before_. It still feels great but it’s not exactly the same and I need to find who I really am, who I can be outside of everything I’ve been and known so far.”

He wasn’t quite following, not being a fan of riddles but he understood that if she talked that way, there was a reason. She wanted to tell him about _before_ but felt like she couldn’t or maybe wasn’t ready yet. He would wait for her to open up and he was sure it would come sooner or later now that she had agreed to come with them. Jynna would be so delighted once she woke up, Max would have to remember to cover his ears otherwise he’d go deaf from her screams of joy.

He knew the Twi’lek, had actually know her for as long as he could remember being on Nar Shaddaa and often felt like he had to be her big brother. He didn’t mind though. He just never thought something like that would happen. There were two kinds of people on Nar Shaddaa. Not the honest or dishonest like everyone would think, because pretty much everyone on Nar Shaddaa had at some point been dishonest in their life. No, there were those that considered their friends as their family and watched out for them and those who played it solo. Although Max was always operating the _Stella_ by himself, he considered his comrades on the moon his family and Jynna was a part of it. Actually everyone that was considered a regular at Taiilyrra’s bar was his family. Others were just others. As he looked at Fulcrum, he wondered if she would be a part of it. She had agreed to go there reluctantly after her talks on Corellia didn’t exactly go as planned, saying she was ready to try it and if she didn’t like it there, she could always leave and Max would be happy to help her out.

He then shifted his gaze to the window screen although through hyperspace there was nothing to do. He simply liked to look at the deformed stars and often got lost in thoughts, just like Ahsoka was at the moment. She was thinking about what happened on Corellia hours ago. When the _Stella_ had landed in _Star Jump_ ’s landing bay, she found no one there actually and it surprised her. She was planning on simply picking her stuff up from her quarters and leave but Sax and Geronimo seemed to have heard her. They were so happy to see her alive that they wouldn’t let go of her until she told them for the fiftieth time she was fine and yes, she was alive. Sax had filled her on his latest jokes as she was packing which really didn’t surprise the boys, they were expecting her departure. They talked for a while about random stuff, tried to persuade her to stay but gave up against her resolve and simply wished her the best.

That was when Bulack showed up and the Zabrak and Corellian quickly skittered away. The boss wasn’t angry, he was simply sad. He wanted her to stay because she was an amazing pilot and he told her really great things that almost made her cry. But he had no other choice than to fire her because she had lost a fighter and the cargo and probably doomed _Star Jump_ ’s relations with Kaal. It was actually kind of ironic that he fired her on her last day. Bulack then shook her hand firmly and gave her an envelope full of credits, the pay for the last month, which she put in her bag without looking inside, she just noticed how heavy it seemed but it could be filled with rocks for all she knew and in fact she didn’t care at that point.

After that she had thanked him for everything and left. Sax and Geronimo hugged her again and watched as she climbed aboard the _Stella_. But Sax couldn’t just let her go without saying something embarrassing and so when he saw Max, his last words to her were “I’m telling Bonteri about you two!”

Once they were in hyperspace again, Ahsoka brought the envelope out and gasped when she opened it.

“What is it?” Max asked and she showed him the contents. He almost fell from his seat. “How many credits are in there?”

Ahsoka started counting and reached an incredible amount of two hundred and fifty.

“But I don’t get it… I was supposed to receive a hundred for my last month.”

“There’s a message with it, look!”

Ahsoka took out the small and thin pad and turned it on. Two files were on it. The first one was a message from Bulack, the other looked like some official paper. She read the message out loud.

“Dear Fulcrum, I am very sorry that we cannot prolong your contract due to recent unfortunate events. But I am sure you will find your way somewhere else and here is a letter of recommendation that you can use as proof that you have worked for me and did very well during those three months. You will find your pay inside the envelope just like we agreed but also a bonus of a hundred that I must insist you take to show my gratitude for your excellent work. I wish you all the best. PS: the last fifty are from Sax’s pay, that’s for Devaron. Captain Bulack of the _Corellian Star Jump Transport Company_.”

“Well, looks like he was a nice guy after all.”


	17. Nar Shaddaa - Part 1 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order_

Just like Max thought, Jynna almost made them deaf when she learned that Ahsoka was coming with them to Nar Shaddaa. The Twi’lek seemed to have taken a liking in the Togruta and acted around her as if she was her older sister. She didn’t look like a spy but wouldn’t reveal her secrets either. Ahsoka wondered how long she would keep that up. They arrived on Nar Shaddaa in the evening and the _Stella_ landed in the giant spaceport. It looked just like Nal Hutta except it seemed to be more urban. It reminded her a bit of Coruscant, but it was a way smaller and wilder Coruscant since it wasn’t entirely urban. But it was as dangerous as her former home.

The girls were still dressed in light and tourist-like clothes but it didn’t seem to bother Jynna as she walked out into the spaceport, her head held high as if she was trying to impress every scum looking at her. Because no matter where Ahsoka looked, she saw only criminals, thieves and bounty hunters. Max appeared next to Ahsoka who stared at her new environment with blank eyes. She was expecting such a place, after all, she was no stranger to danger or scum, she already encountered some of them, even some notorious ones like Aurra Sing and Hondo Onaka but it was still strange to think that she’d actually agreed to work here.

“Come on, Fulcrum, let’s show you around!” Max said with a smile as his eyes were saying _so you weren’t expecting that, hum?_

Ahsoka nodded and followed him. She got used to her new name. Jynna was far in front of them, walking fast enough so others wouldn’t stare too much but slowly enough so Ahsoka and Max could follow her. Ahsoka realized that Jynna was acting very proudly as if she didn’t want to show any weakness and from what the Togruta understood, the young Twi’lek has been living on the Smuggler’s moon for years so she probably knew how to handle the scum looking at her.

“There’s a city not very far from here, like five minutes on speeder, you can actually see the lights on the east,” he pointed in that direction and Ahsoka saw that he was right. She could actually make out the city limits on the horizon. “It’s not ruled by anyone but a certain Hutt has been trying to seize it. Well, Jynna and I don’t live in the city, we leave in the buildings around this spaceport. It’s better than the city actually, smaller, less noise and we keep our business to ourselves, dealing with our problems on our own terms.”

As he said that, they walked past a couple of bounty hunters who jumped on each other until one of them was beaten to the ground. Ahsoka gulped and frowned but kept on walking. It didn’t seem to faze Max one bit, as if he had seen that too many time to care.

“So, do you often deal with this kind of stuff yourselves? Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a good fight from time to time, I actually miss some real action, but I’m not used to this kind of… environment. At least not used to be a part of it.”

Max then smiled and pointed to the round building Jynna had entered. It had swinging short doors like a saloon and it was actually written “ _Taii’s Saloon_ ” on the front.

“That’s Taiilyrra’s bar. We often gather there, we have all our parties and celebrations there too. The boss is my friend; she kept an eye on me after my father’s death.”

He then stopped and grabbed Ahsoka’s arm so suddenly her bag fell on the ground, dangling on her elbow. What Max was about to say seemed serious by the look on his face.

“There are two groups of people living around the spaceport, Fulcrum. Those who are friends of Taiilyrra’s and will always be welcome to her bar. These are the people I’m talking about when I say _we_. And there are the others. Most of the others are welcome to her bar too, but they are not part of our family, they don’t celebrate with us, they don’t often fraternize with us at all actually. Most of the time, we try to ignore each other, not wanting to cause trouble, especially in the bar, Taiilyrra is unforgivable is something gets broken. But we make deals with the others. That’s what this whole business is about: making deals while trying not to kill each other. Usually it ends up in a street fight and some scores are settled. But sometimes blood flows. Lots of it. What I mean is that you have to know who you can’t mess with but that you can’t also allow others to mess with you.”

That sounded very complicated and Ahsoka frowned but Max shrugged.

“You’ll get the hang of it eventually. Come on, let’s get inside before Jynna spills all of the small intel she gathered on Kaal.”

Eager to hear about the Twi’lek’s mission and maybe actually meet her boss, Ahsoka didn’t need telling twice and followed him inside the bar. Round tables with small chairs could be seen all around the place. The round counter was in the back, against the wall and a staircase snaked to an upper level that seemed to be locked to guests. Ahsoka guessed it was the bar’s owner’s quarters. Many people of different races could be found in the wide room but because of the placement of the tables and the huge space, it didn’t seem crowded. And it was loud, really loud. People seemed to be enjoying themselves but something hung in the air, something that said it was not an innocent place and that the laughter could be quickly replaced with gun shots. A cheerful music was played by some Devaronian and Siniteen duo on a small stage.

Jynna was already sitting at the counter and Ahsoka and Max joined her, each sitting on either side of the Twi’lek who seemed deep in a monologue, one hand grabbing a big tankard of what Ahsoka hoped was juice.

“I got some of the intel during the introduction conversation, I learned that the big guy, some Weequay named Klaydo, was part of a crime group from Coruscant, underground levels 36 to 37. But my mission was cut short but Fulcrum other there.”

Jynna lazily pointed Ahsoka with her thumb and the Togruta whose lekku stripes darkened as she slightly blushed. The person listening to the Twi’lek was a female Chagrian of around thirty years old. Ahsoka immediately thought that Sax would have lost it had he been there because, even though Ahsoka wasn’t interested in women, she had to admit the bartender was beautiful and really attractive. She had a light purple skin that was darker on the small spots on her lekku and forehead. Some of them also surrounded the top of her eyes which only deepened her gaze. The horns pointing out of her front lekku were a shiny black and they were way finer and graceful than those of Palpatine’s secretary. The welcoming smile on her plump lips was pretty but her posture showed that she was no stranger to fights, just like the blaster strapped to her right leg.

She turned to Ahsoka and poured her some kind of yellowish liquor then handed her the glass and reached out her hand.

“I’m Taiilyrra, the owner of that saloon. My co-partner should be back soon so you can meet him afterwards.”

“Fulcrum. So you’re the person Jynna was gathering intel for?”

“Yes, I’m also the one that sells it to interested parties, but you probably figured that out.”

She winked at Ahsoka and the Togruta didn’t like the way she behaved. She seemed dangerous, like she had Ahsoka all figured out, like she knew who she was _before_. Although she could sense no animosity coming from the Chagrian, the Togruta was still on her guard. Taiilyrra seemed nice though, but Ahsoka had to get used to the idea that everyone she’d meet on Nar Shaddaa wasn’t innocent and probably had blood on their hands. And from the rather straight and steady positions of the Chagrian, Ahsoka guessed she could have a lot of red. She looked almost like a solider, one of her fellow Clones.

“So, don’t worry about the intel, Jynna. I’m not going to assign you other missions as risky. I underestimated those bastards and I’m sorry for that. Drinks on the house for you three today!”

Jynna smiled and so did Max who started gulping down his tankard of rum, Ahsoka learned later that it was the best rum from Kaal, and the Togruta looked at her own glass before Taiilyrra interrupted her again.

“So, Jynna here was telling me how she met you before you guys entered.” She started polishing another glass and Ahsoka saw a vibrospear leaning against the back wall. “Said you were a pilot and a mechanic and that you’d be staying here. You picked one kriff of a place to settle, you know?”

Ahsoka smiled at that and took a shy sip of her glass. From the color and the texture, she thought it was peach juice or something similar but it was actually another fruit and it had some alcohol in it. Not as strong as rum, but strong nonetheless.

“It’s Meiloorun liquor, my favorite.”

Taiilyrra explained and winked again and Ahsoka couldn’t argue: it tasted really good. She automatically reached for her back bag to pull out some credits but Taiilyrra stopped her with her hand that she pressed against the metal counter between them.

“On the house, remember?”

Ahsoka nodded and there was a small moment of silence but Jynna broke it very quickly.

“So, Scarlett! Once we’re finished celebrating here, I’ll show you our place! You’re gonna love it! Don’t worry, you’ll have your own bedroom and the house is pretty clean except for the workshop but I don’t dare touch anything in there, that’s where all my father’s tools still are.”

Ahsoka raised her eyebrows and drank a bit more. It seemed Jynna had already adopted her and somehow, it pleased Ahsoka. The Twi’lek seemed really friendly and nice, like a small sister she could care about and without all the secrecy around her missions, she seemed almost innocent.

“Since when I’m Scarlett?”

“It suits you, even though your skin color is orange and not red. Besides, it’s prettier than Fulcrum, what kind of name is that anyway? Sounds like a boy’s name!”

Ahsoka looked at Max, silently asking for help but the young man simply laughed and shrugged.

“I can’t do anything, once Jynna has decided something, there is no turning back. Besides, she’s right: it does suit you.”

Ahsoka’s lekku stripes couldn’t be darker. She decided to change the subject and thought about what Jynna had said.

“And what are we celebrating exactly?”

“Well,” Jynna started. “For starters I’m back in one piece from Kaal, Max has sold his last cargo like a pro and made a huge profit,” the smuggler bowed proudly “and you’re the new member of our family!”

Ahsoka was about to protest gently because the Twi’lek was jumping to conclusions but someone else interrupted their happy little celebration.

“Family my arse!”

All heads turned to the man that stood in the middle of the room. He took his tankard of ale and smashed it on the ground which made the Chagrian bartender yell.

“Tass’lik, what in the universe? These tankards won’t fix themselves you know? I told you already last time no more fights or breaking stuff! You won’t have any other chance after that and it’s gonna be bye-bye _Taii’s Saloon_!” She actually picked up her vibrospear as if to threaten him.

The man that still stood in the middle of the room was the tallest Trendoshian Ahsoka had ever seen. He towered above everyone else and made his way to the counter. Max stood up and tried to push him back.

“He’s completely drunk and probably high too. Taii, we’re going to have a situation here!”

The Chagrian bit her lips and detached a walkie-talkie from her belt.

“Hey big guy? I need you at the saloon, Tass’lik has gone off limits again. I don’t care you’re busy, hurry it up and come here this instant!”

“Who is she calling?” Ahsoka asked Jynna as she was carefully watching the still approaching Trendoshian.

“Softness. He’s really nice. He’s in charge of the security here and is stronger than anyone on Nar Shaddaa even Tass’lik.”

She sounded relieved now that she knew Softness was on its way but she was still pale. She had paled the moment the Trendoshian had talked. Ahsoka wondered for a moment how someone supposedly so strong and in charge of security could be called Softness but she was snapped out of her thoughts as she remembered Jynna mentioning Tass’lik back on Kaal. She had thought Ahsoka was a bounty hunter employed by the Trendoshian which means they were enemies. But Ahsoka didn’t have time to ask the Twi’lek because Max was brutally shoved to the side and a fist flew in Jynna’s direction and the girl screamed as she lifted her arms to protect herself. But the blow never hit her because Ahsoka had intercepted it, grabbing Tass’lik’s wrist and twisting it.


	18. Nar Shaddaa - Part 2 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order_

The Trendoshian growled but it was probably more of frustration than of pain because of all the alcohol he had drank. Ahsoka could actually smell it on his breath now that he was so close. She didn’t waste any time looking up at his dark green skin and black spikes. Still holding his wrist, she rose on her chair and jumped on him, using her body weight and momentum to make him fall backwards. They both landed on the floor of the bar, Tass’lik on his back like a turtle and Ahsoka in a perfect defensive position with one of her legs bended to ease the landing.

The Togruta then punched the Trendoshian in his spiked face as he was attempting to get up. She might be able to pack quite a punch but that guy seemed to be able to receive a lot of those without even frowning and it was worse in his condition and the fact he probably didn’t feel any pain just annoyance at the small creature who just stopped him from reaching his goal. Ahsoka looked around and saw Max getting up with difficulty. He had been thrown to the side and fell on a table not very far from the second entry to the bar which, now that Ahsoka looked at it, seemed like a back entrance.

Taiilyrra then yelled her name and Ahsoka caught the vibrospear the Chagrian bartender had just thrown her.

“There is a blade end and an electric end. Use whatever you want!” She added, a wide smile spread on her dark purple lips that lookedlike plums.

Ahsoka nodded and pressed a button on the shaft of the spear, turning on the electrified bottom end. It reminded her of the electrified purple staff Hondo used when he had attacked their Jedi transport after the Gathering when she was chaperoning younglings. She then violently pressed the electrified end on the Trendoshian’s chest and the lizard growled again but after a few seconds was stunned enough so he wouldn’t be able to move a muscle. Ahsoka saw that he was still conscious though because she could clearly hear the distinctive sound those lizards made when they called for help except that it was too faint for anyone else that the Togruta to hear.

Taiilyrra then came from behind the counter and crossed her arms on her heavy chest. She wore black leather pants and a dark top that carefully engulfed her curves, showing at the same time too much and not enough.

“You guys all know the rules: no brawls in my saloon! Otherwise it’s the door!” She pointed at the entrance with her index finger and a silver ring glistened on it.

The other Trendoshians in the room, probably Tass’lik’s pals, nodded and swallowed with difficulty. They slowly approached the body of their comrade as if to pick him up and take him outside, but a loud cry came from the back entrance, which was a closed door, not like the two small half-swinging doors of the entrance at the other side of the room. Ahsoka, who came back to Jynna, immediately recognized it as a Wookie’s roar and soon after a Wookie came into the bar. After such a valorous and frightening cry, Ahsoka almost expected him to pull the door out of its hinges but he gently opened and closed it as if Taiilyrra had already punished him once for destroying it.

“That’s Softness!” Jynna explained and a wide smile had appeared on her face when the Wookie came in.

He crossed the space between them in a few steps with his big hairy legs and grabbed Tass’lik like a sack of potatoes. Then he opened the front doors and threw him out, sending him flying in the dusty streets. All his pals followed, heads held low then they passed next to the Wookie.

Meanwhile Max had risen to his feet and put the table back up before joining Taiilyrra who was sweeping glass debris off the floor.

“You were about to interfere. I’ve seen you handle Tass’lik before. On your own,” the Naboo said. “I know you, Taii. You were about to jump right in and you’d never miss a chance to kick his ass even though he’s banished from your bar. Why didn’t you? And why call Softness? You could have handled it on your own.”

Taiilyrra picked up the glass shards and made her way to the counter, throwing the glass in a bin. She indicated Ahsoka with her head.

“I got a feeling our new friend here would love to handle it. I also wanted to check something. She looks familiar and so I needed to be sure if I wasn’t mistaken.”

“And?”

She winked.

“I wasn’t.”

She didn’t elaborate and got back behind the counter, leaving Max standing there with no clue whatsoever as to where Taii might have seen or met Fulcrum before. Softness then came to meet Jynna and put his big hand on her head. He would have undone her hairdo if she had hair. Instead a gentle and even concerned cry escaped his mouth and Jynna assured him she was fine. Apparently it was common knowledge that Tass’lik had a grudge against the young Twi’lek and Ahsoka wondered what it was all about. Then the Wookie pulled out his hand for Ahsoka to shake and introduced himself which Ahsoka did too.

Then Jynna brought her glass up for the rest of the clients to see and yelled “To Scarlett who just saved my skin!”

“To Scarlett!” everyone replied and Ahsoka’s lekku stripes darkened as her cheeks took a red tone.

Then Jynna grabbed her by the hand and even carried the Togruta’s bag.

“Come on! I’ll show you the house! You’re gonna love it!”

Ahsoka didn’t have time to protest and was dragged to the entrance. Max followed them.

“Hey, Fulcrum! You never explained why you called me Jawa-tooka!”

He had to put his hands around his mouth so his voice would carry through the street. The Trendoshians had vanished and Ahsoka hoped they would leave Jynna alone now, at least for a while.

“All in good time!” Ahsoka replied before disappearing on the corner of a street.

Max knew where Jynna’s home was but he didn’t follow them, feeling like it was their moment. Jynna deserved this time alone with Fulcrum to show her around and convince her to stay. Because Max knew that Ahsoka hadn’t quite made her decision yet. The Twi’lek dragged the Togruta through several small streets. The village surrounding the spaceport wasn’t that big actually and there were like ten streets total maybe. They finally stopped in front of a house that had three levels. Ahsoka took it all in, observing every little detail as if to capture it in her mind, printing it there forever. There was an inscription above the door, someone’s name she couldn’t make out followed but the word “ _repairs_ ”. It seemed really old or not taken care of.

“It looks old from the outside, but it’s actually really nice once inside! You’ll see! It’s just that I didn’t have time lately to do a bit of painting on the front, you know. But I’m thinking about it. All the things inside are working though!”

Jynna then opened the front door with a key card and came in, followed by Ahsoka. The room they entered looked like an office. It had a large desk directly on the right and a chair behind it. A bit farther was a shelf with dozens of pads, some of them broken. There was a small staircase at the back, leading only upstairs, and a closed door on the left. Ahsoka guessed Jynna’s father’s workshop was behind that door since she had seen a couple of closed garage doors next to the front door, those doors looked rusty like they hadn’t served in years.

Jynna climbed upstairs and Ahsoka gasped when she saw where the staircase led. The room was wide and had a nice dinner table. On the left side against the wall was everything that was needed for cooking and storing food. The table was near the left wall and there was a huge couch on the right side of the room, it almost took the whole left space. A screen was on the right wall along with some pictures that changed into others after a few seconds. Jynna clapped and the artificial candles glued to the ceiling lit up, giving the room a nice warm glow and a welcoming impression. Huge glass windows were covering the entire back wall behind both the table and couch. A small door was on the left and another one on the right.When Ahsoka got closer to the pictures, she saw a family of three Twi’leks. The smaller which was actually a child on most of them had blue skin and Ashoka recognized Jynna thanks to her spots and freckles. She guessed the two other adults were her late parents.

But not all the pictures showed the happy family. After a few seconds, they changed and Ahsoka recognized Max on one of them. Jynna still looked very young. The smuggler was throwing a bucket of water at the girl who was laughing and seemed to be having the time of her life. On another one, Jynna was sitting on Softness’s shoulders; Ahsoka recognized his dark, almost black fur and the metal breast plate he wore like a warrior. On another one, were simply Taiilyrra and Softness, back to back, looking like two spies, in front of the Chagrian’s bar. On another one there was a sunset. The picture seemed to have been taken from the top of one the buildings of the village because Ahsoka saw the city outline in the distance and recognized Taii’s bar below.

Jynna brought her out of her observation by opening the small door on the right. “That’s my room.” After hearing that, Ahsoka just peeked inside but didn’t enter, leaning in the doorframe. It was big enough to hold a single small bed, a table and closet for clothes. But by the way Jynna had decorated it, she seemed to be fine with the small size of her room though: there were several light bulbs with wires attached to the ceiling above the bed, pouring all sorts of lights of different colors when Jynna turned them on. The entire left wall was one big screen and it also showed pictures but Ahsoka quickly realized they were only pictures of landscapes. Ahsoka saw Kaal and Kashyyyk but also Onderon and Naboo, Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa.

“There are the places where I’ve already been, usually as an interpreter. But I’d like to see all the planets of our galaxy someday!”

Ahsoka smiled at her dream and Jynna took her back to the living room and climbed the stairs that went to the third floor. A door was there and she opened it with the panel on the right.

“That was my parents’ room. It can be yours if you want. Unless you prefer the couch that is,” Jynna said, stepping aside to let the Togruta in.

The room was a little bit bigger than Jynna’s room but not that much. A C-shaped couch was in the middle of the room, against the back and left walls. Three windows were on the back wall and could be opened with small handles but they could only be opened horizontally. A closet was on the right side, along with a small desk and a comfortable leather chair.

“The couch can actually become a bed,” Jynna said as she showed Ahsoka how it was done. Once the bed was up, it took twice as much space as the couch, making very little room to move around. “I hope it’s not too crowded for you… oh and the refresher is in the living room, the door behind the kitchen. And the roof of the refresher is directly underneath your window so there’s a wide ledge, my dad used to sit there and watch the sunset.”

Ahsoka put her head through the open window and saw Jynna was right: there was a ledge she could easily sit on, probably even lie on. She then realized the picture of Nar Shaddaa with the sunset in the living room had actually been taken from that spot. When she turned to look at Jynna, she saw the Twi’lek hand her the travelling bag slowly and shifting from one foot to the other, as if anxious to hear Ahsoka’s comments. But the Togruta realized it was time to give Jynna the answer. Not only the answer about the room and if it suited her, but also about this new turn if her life. Jynna was expecting an answer for all sorts of different questions Ahsoka could read in her big golden eyes. Did Ahsoka like the room? Was she staying here with her? Was she ready and willing to become her older sister? Would she be a repairer here on Nar Shaddaa? Or would she abandon her like her parents did, even though it wasn’t their fault?

Ahsoka answered and she had no idea why she answered that. She just knew, she could feel it was the right thing to do.

“Yes, it’s perfect,” she simply said.


	19. Nar Shaddaa - Part 3 (20 BBY)

_20 years before the Battle of Yavin / three months and three weeks after leaving the Jedi Order / two weeks on Nar Shaddaa_

Two weeks had already passed since Ahsoka arrived on Nar Shaddaa with Max and Jynna, since she became a repairer and the best on the moon, since she also met Taiilyrra and Softness, since she beat up Tass’lik. The Trendoshian and his pals disappeared the day after her arrival and Max learned later on that they had moved to the city which was fine with everyone in the spaceport village.

From her very first day, Ahsoka, or Fulcrum or even Scarlett now thanks to Jynna, had been working in Jynna’s father’s workshop. Her usual outfit became loose cargo pants, pilot boots, a tank top, her special gloves and goggles and, of course, her trusty vibroblades even though Ahsoka felt more and more the need to make herself new lightsabers. She was still thinking about it though; she hadn’t, for instance, figured out where she could find white crystals. She didn’t want any color because she just knew by heart what which crystal color meant and it all referred to the Jedi Order. She made it very clear she wasn’t part of it anymore, at least to herself, because no one else than Geronimo knew.

Ahsoka woke up in her room. After two weeks, she had adopted it as her own and she often lied on the ledge outside her window, especially at night once Jynna was already softly snoring and the sounds came from her open window because of the heat, even during the night. Ahsoka liked simply staring at the stars and often wondered what her friends were during at that time and how things were for them. Of course, the three main people usually on her mind were Lux, Anakin and Padme. But the Togruta was pleased to feel less and less sadness every time she turned on her hologram displayer.

It was still fairly early when she was fully awake and since she could still hear Jynna’s light snoring when she passed her head through the window, she decided to call Lux. She hadn’t in a while and she had promised to call him once her contract was over. He hadn’t attempted to call her and she thought he was probably busy since he was back on Coruscant to do his job as a Senator. Worst case scenario, he wouldn’t answer but would call her back.

Her heart skipped a bit when he did actually answer and they spend the first five minutes gingerly talking about everything and nothing, making more small talk than an actual conversation. Then she asked him how things were going for him and, besides some troubling and frightening things that were going on in the Senate, he was doing great. That’s when she told him she was well installed and had adapted to her new place on Nar Shaddaa.

When she said the name of the moon, she could almost see him pale on the other side of the transmission.

“Tell me you’re joking, Ahsoka.”

She loved it when he said her name and so she focused on that pleasant feeling rather than the anxiousness of his tone. He was the only one calling her by her true name and she missed the sound. Everybody else either called her Fulcrum or Scarlett and the latter was pretty much always used. Even Max started calling her Scarlett when a week ago he was the only one in the village to still call her Fulcrum.

“I wouldn’t joke about something like that, Lux. I truly have found a nice place on the Hutt’s moon. It’s not as bad as rumors say…”

“Have you lost your mind?”

He didn’t yell or didn’t put any anger in his voice but Ahsoka felt as if she’s just been punched in the gut. She couldn’t quite catch her breath for a moment and was at a loss for words.

“Do you know how dangerous that place is? There are only criminals, murderers, bounty hunters and mercenaries there!”

“Have you ever been there?” she snapped. She didn’t want her voice to be so cold but Lux’s over protectiveness was starting to get on her nerves.

“No but…”

“Then let me tell you something, Mister Bonteri! I’ve been living here for fourteen whole days and so far, I managed to handle myself. Not only that, but I found a job, a job that I like and that I’m good at. People even appreciate that, scum or not! As for danger? Please! I’m no stranger to danger; you know my past, for kriff’s sake! I manage to keep myself out of harm’s way, but not only that, I now also have a younger sister that I am able to keep safe. And I can run a whole house without making anything explode! So let me handle anything that has to do with security and you go back to your diplomatic talks, alright?”

She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth but when she wanted to apologize, Lux simply sighed.

“Maybe we should talk later. We both seem to have other things to worry about so let’s talk when we have both calmed down, alright?”

“Okay.”

She wanted to talk some more with him, after all she hadn’t seen him in like what, four, five, maybe six months? But she agreed with him: right now she would only yell at him so they ended the conversation. Ahsoka got out of bed, got dressed and headed into the living room.

She was greeted by the nicest smell in the galaxy: blueberry waffles with cherry-tasting cream. Jynna was finished preparing breakfast when Ahsoka joined her behind the table. They had put up some basic house rules on the first day. One of them was that Jynna had the exclusive right to cook anything and anytime she wanted since she loved cooking and Ahsoka was fine with that since it was far from being her forte. Ahsoka, on the other hand, had the exclusive right to play with and fix anything that had to do with security in the house and electronics, which also meant the lights and the pictures but it was fine as it was so she didn’t touch it but she knew she could. As for the other house chores, they shared everything equally. They also had a special rule about the money they earned. Half went into the special credit box hidden in the living room, as Jynna called it, and that money served to buy new things for the house, either the workshop which involved Ahsoka’s job, materials to fix the house or even grocery shopping. The other half each one earned was their own to do whatever they pleased with it.

“So, was that your boyfriend on the comlink?” Jynna innocently asked, dipping her waffle into her peach juice.

Ahsoka nearly spilled her black hazelnut coffee at the question and had to wipe her mouth of the cream that had gotten everywhere which only made Jynna laugh.

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah and I’m Jabba the Hutt. So, when is he coming? Because he will be coming, right? He sounded so concerned!”

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“Not exactly, I didn’t actually hear what you were saying, except when you yelled “ _Mister Bonteri!_ ” It woke me up, actually.”

Ahsoka’s lekku stripes darkened and Jynna noticed it. Since she had moved in with her, the young Twi’lek became more and more aware of certain characteristics of the Togruta’s morphology, the tone of her stripes or the sensitive points of her montrals for instance. Two days ago, Jynna had accidentally slammed the door of the cupboard above the sink on Ahsoka’s left montral and thus had learned that the lekku and montrals were sensitive and also how Ahsoka managed to use the vibrations they emitted to move around without using her sight. The Togruta had explained it all and the differences between their two races, so the Twi’lek wouldn’t slam anything on her head again.

“Senator Bonteri is very lucky you know, Scarlett? You should invite him sometime! I met him once, never really talked to him though. Just saw him at the Senate in Coruscant when I was helping some other Senator.”

Ahsoka was about to remind Jynna that Lux wasn’t her boyfriend but the Twi’lek wasn’t listening anymore and simply whistled a very cheesy love song she had heard on the general radio at Taii’s bar. They actually had a party that evening, just because Max came back from his last contract. He was actually gone for ten days. Yesterday evening, he told everybody he missed the place before collapsing from exhaustion on Taii’s counter. The Chagrian had woken him up brutally by slamming an empty tankard next to his head and told him to use the usual room. Ahsoka had actually learned that Max didn’t own any place on Nar Shaddaa but often slept on the upper floor of Taii’s bar, where she had several rooms, including hers and Softness’s, but she never wanted to rent them. Max was allowed to crash from time to time because he was family and doors are always open for family.

After breakfast, during which no other subject than the weather was mentioned, they washed the dishes and Ahsoka headed for the workshop. She was waiting for some clients to come, they always did now that she was famous as the best and only good repairer on Nar Shaddaa, but until they showed up, she worked on some droid she had found in a dusty corner of the workshop. It was a small mouse droid, the kind usually used on Republic cruiser and she was thinking about selling it afterwards because it was of no use to her. She was also thinking about buying a ship, just for herself because she didn’t want to always ask Max to use the _Stella_. Besides, if she suddenly needed to get away from Nar Shaddaa in case some old enemy from her past showed up, she needed to have an escape plan. Not that she expected anything like that to happened, not on Nar Shaddaa at least, but you never knew.

The day went quietly and quickly buy, Probyji, a local Rhodian, came to her with his piloting droid and she fixed it in three hours after a rough landing or rather crash a few miles from the spaceport village. They all knew Probyji and liked him very much since he had decent prices for weapons and had certain deals with Taii. Ahsoka could, of course, take advantage from those deals but she was also entitled to reduce the price for her repairs and she did gladly: she might need a decent weapon some day, if not for her than maybe for someone close to her. She didn’t like the idea that Jynna might someday carry a blaster because whoever used a weapon became a target, but the Twi’lek might need a way to defend herself someday, especially if she was to stay on Nar Shaddaa for the rest of her life.

Once the evening was close, Ahsoka met Jynna outside the house and they locked the door, Ahsoka had a double of the key card. That’s when Ahsoka noticed the bright red sign above the entrance door that read “ _Scarlett’s repairs_ ”.

“I had it repaired in the afternoon. Thought it would look nice and bring you even more clients. What do you think?” Jynna asked.

Ahsoka’s smile said it all and they headed for Taii’s bar. Everyone was already inside but no one was completely drunk yet. Softness was sipping a small barrel of what looked like ale in a corner, Probyji cheered with a Weequay, cousin of Hondo that dealt in bounty hunter contracts but respected everyone in the village, Taiilyrra was behind the counter and had her own glass.

Suddenly, right after Ahsoka and Jynna pushed the front doors of the bar open, Max decided to become the showman and asked the orchestra, the same guys as every night, to play a specific joyful song. He then jumped on one of the middle tables and started dancing, spilling half of his rum on him and on the floor. Taii tensed when she saw the damage to her floorboards but laughed it off.

Jynna had her glass of juice and Taii was already preparing the usual Meiloorun liquor that Ahsoka adored and always choose when she came to the bar, but Max prevented her from joining the counter. He jumped down from the table, miraculously keeping his balance when he hit the floor but spilling the rest of his drink on his pants at a very inappropriate place which made Ahsoka laugh so hard she had to hold her painful ribs.

“Scarlett!” Max bellowed, not noticing the stain on his crotch. “I’ve been looking for ya!”

He seemed fairly drunk but his eyes still had the same spark of lucidity as when he was sober so Ahsoka knew he wasn’t entirely drunk yet. She had seen his drunk out of his mind three days after her arrival and it wasn’t that. Yet.

“Oh yeah? I wonder why!”

He leaned on and almost fell on her but he managed to keep his balance, simply brushing her shoulders with his shirt instead of hitting her hard like he would have done had he no control over his body.

“Got ya a gift! But ya gotta come… with me. Outside because it’s… special,” he slurred and whispered.

“Alright, Jawa-tooka, I’ll be right after you, I’m just going to grab a drink. Go outside, pick a place, make yourself comfortable.”

He nodded and walked outside or rather snaked between the tables, occasionally knocking some chairs over. Ahsoka grabbed the glass Taii gave her and the Chagrian winked. Ahsoka had come to know what that kind of wink meant. Taiilyrra winked a lot and in all sorts of situations, it often meant she knew something you didn’t, which Ahsoka wasn’t fond of. But it also meant other things and right now, Ahsoka had the fair impression Taii was shipping her and Max which was simply ridiculous.

The Togruta left the bar so she didn’t give the Chagrian the chance to make a comment about the sudden dark color of her lekku stripes or the redness of her cheeks. Max was waiting outside, sitting on the roof of the _Stella_ inside the open spaceport. Ahsoka didn’t find him at first but she quickly heard him sing and joined him. Climbing onto the roof, she took a sip of her glass and put it next to her before bringing her knees to her chest, making herself more comfortable.

Max then handed her a box that had been clumsily wrapped in paper with the ribbon bow sticking to the side and almost falling off but she appreciated he had tried.

“Today’s actually my twentieth birthday but I like to break the rules so I’m the one giving presents away. I already paid the first round at the bar…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll pay you the rest!”

She unwrapped the box and found a headdress inside it. It was red and silver, plain like a bandana and had a silver gem encrusted in the middle, it seemed to be metal.

“I didn’t know if it would fit ya, but let’s try it,” Max said.

He actually wanted to help her but he was so clumsy she laughingly pushed his hands away and took off her headdress on her own. She then placed the new one and was surprised to find that it fitted perfectly. It covered a bit more of her face than the Akul teeth did, but it was a nice change. She then opened Max’s left hand and placed the Akul teeth inside it with the two chains.

“Happy birthday Max,” she smiled.

Her smile was so genuine and she was so pretty that Max couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her. Was it partly because of the alcohol or was she really growing on him, he had no idea but his face came closer. Too close until she understood what he was about to do and turned her head to the side, her lekku stripes beating records of darkening.

“I… I can’t Max. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t seem to take it as an insult and shrugged it off.

“You’re already taken, is that it? Such a pretty and intelligent girl like you must be.”

She nodded to have him off her back and Jynna’s conversation of that morning came rushing to her mind, making her blush even more if that was possible. Max then broke the awkward silence that settled between them after his failed kiss.

“Why Jawa-tooka? You said you’d tell me someday.”

He placed the Akul teeth around his neck and Ahsoka hoped it was just temporary because she didn’t want to think about that awkward situation every time she’d look at the smuggler.

“You’re like a Jawa, looking for shiny and rare items. You remind me a lot of them even though I’ve been on Tatooine just one time. And Tooka stands for your behavior, you’re like a stray cat and I’ve seen a lot of Tookas on Coruscant. Not that it’s a bad thing, though, it’s all part of your charm.”

Then they stared at the stars for another couple of minutes before Ahsoka shivered. After all she simply had her tank top on. Max proposed they went back inside and she accepted, her glass half-empty. When they entered the bar, Taiilyrra couldn’t help but wink again and Ahsoka sighed. The change in her headdress didn’t go unnoticed and Ahsoka feared some rumors would spread. Max was the center of attention for the rest of the party and it lasted a long time. Jynna and Ahsoka went home in the early hours of the morning, leaving themselves the whole morning to sleep it off. All in all, it had been a good day.


	20. Nal Hutta (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa_

Months passed and Ahsoka felt perfectly fine on Nar Shaddaa. Of course, she missed Lux, Anakin, Padme, Master Plo, Master Kenobi and all her former Jedi accountancies. She also missed Sax and Geronimo and had managed to contact them once to let them know she was okay and that if they someday crashed on Nar Shaddaa, they’d need to ask for Scarlett. Because that’s the name everyone knew her on Nar Shaddaa now. Max sometimes called her Fulcrum, but mostly followed the others’ example.

Ahsoka had also discovered that Taiilyrra knew she was a former Jedi, that she had recognized her straight away. Like Ahsoka thought, her headdress and face markings gave her away. She had already changed the first one but could do nothing for the second, at least nothing not involving surgery and she wasn’t willing to go that far. The Chagrian had simply mentioned something to Max, Ahsoka even wondered if there wasn’t something going on between the two but she never caught them doing anything that would prove a potential relationship. But then again, she had never caught Anakin and Padme, which didn’t mean they weren’t together. Ahsoka still remembered the way Max had tried to kiss her a while back during his twentieth birthday so she was fairly sure he had no feelings for Taii. But because the Chagrian shipped her with the smuggler, Ahsoka wanted to have a small revenge of her own.

As for the information Taii had about Ahsoka’s past, it was safe with the Chagrian. Taiilyrra made a point in knowing as much as she could about her fellow village neighbors but never spilled their secrets. She justified that curiosity by saying that it was her job to gather intelligence to sell to interested parties and even though her friends’s secrets were safe with her, she couldn’t help but do some research about them. Out of habit, she said.

Ahsoka had been so caught up in her routine that she didn’t see the time fly and before she knew it, the year ended, bringing its different celebrations which meant more time spent at Taii’s bar, more booze and more occasions to see Max dancing on tables. At some point, they were having so much fun, Ahsoka joined Jynna on the counter where they danced and Taii had given everybody a free pass, not minding about broken glass or furniture just for that evening.

Ahsoka also called Lux after that to apologize and they had lovely conversations. She promised to visit him as soon as she managed to buy a ship and said she’d even bring Jynna. The Twi’lek had actually caught Scarlett talking to her boyfriend and joined in the conversation because that’s just something she would do. Ahsoka and Lux both had some growing up to do and they needed to adapt to each other’s life styles but especially personalities and boy that was a long way to go.

At some point in the two months following the beginning of the New Year, Max suddenly called Ahsoka on her comlink. She had given him the frequency after all those months. The smuggler was in a pinch on Nal Hutta and asked her to come and help him out.

“And how am I supposed to do that, hum, Jawa-tooka? I don’t have a ship, remember? That’s why I’ve been asking you to keep your eyes open in case you find an interesting deal.”

“And I had. But I’m also calling in the favor you owe me.”

Ahsoka sighed when she realized she was about to agree. Since that day after she left the Jedi Order and travelled to Myrkr, she owed him for saving her life from those Vronskrs. True, she had already given him her Akul teeth as a payment, but she also wanted to thank him properly, and the fact that he had helped her on Kaal after she crashed in the ocean didn’t make them even.

“Softness has a shuttle you can use to get to Nal Hutta. I’m waiting at the north spaceport, dock 32. I’ve found you an interesting deal, nice ship, fast and not too expensive. And the guy selling it agreed to reserve it for you but you have to come today, after that he’ll put it on the market.”

“How much?”

“He said about four thousand credits, with enough fuel to travel back to Nar Shaddaa.”

“You’re right, that’s interesting,” Ahsoka said. “Alright, let’s say I’m coming. What’s that thing you want me to do since I owe you?”

She could almost see him smile on the other side of the comlink and she put her tools to the side, sitting back on the floor of the workshop, surrounded by engine parts and screwdrivers.

“The _Stella_ broke down on Nal Hutta, I managed to land okay but the hyperdrive is busted. I won’t be able to do all the repairs in just a few hours and the day is already well started. I have a cargo, three small crates of wires and ship parts that I need to deliver today to Cyborrea.”

“So you want me to take you there.”

“I can pay for half the fuel.”

Ahsoka sighed again.

“Alright, give me two hours to ask Softness and gather a few things. But after that, we’re even!”

He agreed and they ended the conversation. Ahsoka then called Jynna while putting the tools back in their places after finishing to fix a last screw on the engine she was working on. The Twi’lek quickly jumped down on the steps of the staircase, a loud habit she had taken in the last weeks as if to prove she existed when everyone on Nar Shaddaa already knew her.

“Max found us a ship. But I’ve got to help him out and take him to Cyborrea. I don’t think it will take us too long, but it’s not exactly close, so don’t wait for me with dinner, alright?”

“Ok, what are you going to name the ship? Is it fast? Where was it built? Would you teach me how to fly? Or to shoot? Oh, shooting would be so awesome!”

Ahsoka stood up and wiped her oily hands on her usual repairs rag.

“How about the _Sneaky Bastard_?” she said without thinking, leaving the workshop and getting upstairs to take a jacket.

Jynna thought about the name for a second, her hand cradling her chin, but shook her head.

“Too vulgar. How about simply the _Sneaky_?”

“I like it. The _Sneaky_ it is then.”

Ahsoka grabbed her jacket and her belt bag, checked the amount of credits to buy the ship and extra fuel and picked a fruit from the kitchen before heading downstairs, her sharp teeth already sinking in the juicy pink skin.

“Oh and the engine is ready, so if Glowr wants to pick it up, he can, but if he wants me to enhance it, we’ll have to discuss the price of the new parts. Can I let you deal with him?” Ahsoka asked.

She knew Jynna liked that kind of work, setting deals, collecting money and gathering information. She was also sometimes asked by the villagers to do some translating when a foreigner came to Nar Shaddaa without a protocol droid. So she didn’t mind sealing deals for Scarlett and agreed to talk with Glowr who was just a random client.

“Stay out of trouble while I’m gone, alright?” Ahsoka asked before hugging the Twi’lek. “And go to Taii if you have a problem you can’t fix. You can always call me also.”

Then she walked out of the house. But before she could reach Taii’s bar, she felt a disturbance in the Force and grabbed the front of her light blue shirt, at the place of her heart. Suddenly she felt sick, like she was at the same time drowning and choking because of some invisible smoke. She held onto a wall for support as images danced in front of her eyes, mostly lightning and purple mixed with black. She heard screams and an evil laughter, she felt the cold of sudden air all around her as if she was falling but also felt the burning sensation of lightning striking her body and fell to her knees. And then, it was all gone as if it never came. Ahsoka had no idea what just happened but she was certain of one thing: something happened in the Jedi Order, at least to one Jedi in particular. She couldn’t quite make who, though, but she didn’t seem to know that person intimately.

Softness agreed to lend her his shuttle but refused to be paid and Ahsoka promised to offer him the next repairs for free to which the Wookie agreed. It didn’t take her long to go to Nal Hutta and she easily found Max. First because of his dreadlocks and particular attire but also because he was the only one at dock 32 to be waving at the sky and shouting her name. One of the nice things about the huge and numerous spaceports of Nal Hutta was that you could leave your ship unattended and wherever you wanted as long as it didn’t pose a problem to circulation. People only respected three things on Nal Hutta actually: money, blasters and ships. Of course, some ships were blown up sometimes even there, but never on purpose because everyone knew how valuable those were. They also often were the property of someone powerful with whom brigands and criminals usually didn’t want to deal.

“I’m glad you came! Come, I’ll show you the ship!” Max said.

He took her across the dock to an _AFS-36 light freighter_ built on Corellia and Ahsoka knew the quality of those ships. She had never come across that model or the AFS series but it looked good from the outside. The Bith seller then took her inside and she recognized him as the same guy Anakin and her had interrogated a year prior when Obi-Wan’s supposed murderer was on the loose. The ship looked fine and she soon discovered it had been modified: the hyperdrive had been enhanced, the space to stock the cargo was bigger than on the other AFS series, the fuel tank was reinforced with steel plates so it wouldn’t be easily pierced from the outside and some new docking system had been installed on the roof and sides to allow the guns to be changed and to support more heavy guns but the seller hadn’t added any of those, leaving the usual guns.

They negotiated the price of the fuel and the quantity, because Ahsoka remembered how last time they talked he had revealed his money making scheme, something about his brother in a nearby system owning a fuel station or something like that. Once everything was sighed and paid, Ahsoka climbed aboard and Max sat in the co-pilot seat after loading up his crates. She made herself comfortable and took off, immediately impressed by the easy controls and fast movements.

“Wow! That bird’s faster than I thought! Let’s see what she can do, shall we?”

Max smiled and they left the atmosphere. The ship really responded well to her solicitations and Ahsoka was pleased. It was fast, practical and powerful. She also had a few ideas how to improve it even more, but she had already checked the engine room before paying. She wasn’t suicidal enough to buy a ship without looking inside the engines and she knew what she was doing. Even if she trusted the seller, she still would have done it because of all the alterations that had been made.

“So, what are you going to call that bird?” Max asked, putting his hands behind his head and leaning in his chair.

“The _Sneaky_. I wanted to go with _Sneaky Bastard_ , but Jynna thought it was too vulgar.”

Max heartily laughed and Ahsoka joined him once they were into hyperspace. They didn’t say much at first, Ahsoka discovering more about her ship every minute, until Max broke the silence.

“Did you know that Scarlett was the name of Jynna’s mother?”

Ahsoka froze then shook her head. She never thought about her new nickname and since all the months had adopted it as her third name, even though she responded to the other two.

“I don’t think she sees you like a mother figure though, more like an older sister. But it’s obvious she admires you and considers you as a role model. And she…”

He didn’t finish because they got out of hyperspace, only to be greeted by heavily armed ships. Ahsoka had completely forgotten all the rumors she had heard about Cyborrea and the fact that its people weren’t that welcoming. Max tried to negotiate, explaining who his client was and what they were doing here, what they were delivering but the ships attacked. The _Sneaky_ suffered heavy fire before Ahsoka could push her to her maximum speed and avoid the shooting. They took on severe damage from what she could see on the control panel and the red lights flashing inside the cockpit. Also the alarm didn’t help. Ahsoka made a mental note to herself to disable it later, her lekku being particularly sensitive to noise. She also hated herself for already damaging the ship.

She pressed a few buttons and set course for a system not very far but not too close either, locking the coordinates before trying to find an opening. She found one and was about to pull the lever but suddenly she saw more images. It was violent this time and she screamed so loudly Max had to cover his ears. He pulled the lever instead then turned to her once they were in hyperspace.Her eyelids were fluttering open but her eyes had rolled to the back of her head, only revealing the whites. She was trembling or rather having spasms as if she was having a seizure of some kind. The smuggler had no idea what to do. He tried to wake her up but failed miserably. So he took her out of her seat and strapped her in the back, in one of the rooms so she wouldn’t thrash too much. They were soon out of hyperspace and Max was forced to land on the only planet there. He had no idea why Ahsoka had chose it but he felt she had actually entered some random-not-very-far coordinates just to get out of the shooting. And now he braced himself for the hard landing with a damaged ship.


	21. Sriluur (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa / a few hours after Order 66_

Ahsoka had no idea what was going on, either outside or inside of her own head. She was trapped in her mind, saw images she didn’t want to see. Well they weren’t exactly pictures she could see clearly; they were more like impressions, shapes and colors. She recognized the blue, green, purple and golden flashes as lightsabers strikes, but seeing also red flashes frightened her. And it wasn’t only that. She also saw shorter flashes like shotos or blaster shots and so numerous they all blurred into a single and unbearable storm.

What she heard was even worse.

Screams filled her head, cries of suffering, pain, hurt. Those were the sounds of the scared, wounded, and dying. She felt the pain in every ounce of her body, to her very core and through every fiber of her muscles and bones. It struck her like lightning and she felt completely lost in this hurricane of suffering. She could feel the pain of a hundred souls if not more, old and young, male and female, all races mixed together. She heard pleading and shivered even more when it was answered by a cold strike. Someone was killing Jedi.

Ahsoka felt it through the Force. She had never experienced so many disturbances in the Force. She felt the Dark side growing stronger like a huge serpent waiting and getting ready to swallow her whole. Compared to what she was feeling right now, her, real or not, experience with the Dark side on Mortis had been nothing. But the worst parts were all the souls, all the voices silenced forever and at once. Even Younglings.

She didn’t feel the crash, didn’t even stir when the rough landing sent her moving around as much as her bonds allowed it. She couldn’t hear the sirens nor could she see the blinding red lights lighting up the room. She didn’t hear Max’s voice, although it felt as if he was far away. She didn’t feel his hands swiftly detach her restraints just like she didn’t feel him shake her again. All she could do was fight the hurricane and even that didn’t seem to be working for her.

She was so lost she tried to scream, to let out her desperation, to reach for something when she couldn’t make it stop. But she was alone, all alone in her own mind, trapped like a rat in the claws of a Tooka. Her heart was racing so fast she expected it to burst any minute and her blood pounded in her ears. Her skull felt like it might crack open, it was even worse than that time she had crashed in a canyon on Florrum. She felt herself fading just like the Force signatures of the others. It all happened so quickly, all of a sudden, hitting her like a giant wave, but she kept revisiting it over and over again, like a jammed beat box in an old cantina on Coruscant.

She felt sweat dripping on her skin but she had never been colder and she simply couldn’t breathe. She didn’t understand she was lost and she was more and more alone by the second as everything she ever knew was slipping away into nothingness, forgot into oblivion.

* * *

 

Max clenched his teeth through the whole landing. He wasn’t a believer, didn’t put his faith in any god, but at that moment, he prayed to every god that might be out there. The noise was loud and the tremendous shock almost sent him crashing into the window panel in front of him, but the stripes of his seat held on. He was sure he had grazed the _Sneaky_ ’s underbelly according to the nails on board kind of sound the ship made once it had collided with the ground. He hoped he hadn’t done any major damage like piercing the fuel tank or busted the hyperdrive.

Once the ship stopped moving, he turned off the annoying alarm and sighed in delight as his ears rested. He turned off everything on the control panel; he would run a diagnosis scan later, once he was sure Fulcrum was fine. He ran his hand on his face to ease the frown on his forehead until he remembered he had a passenger. He burst through the door, quickly finding Fulcrum where he had left her before the crash. She had been shuffled to the side of the bed, hanging on the bonds restraining her, her left arm and head falling off the bed. She looked like a broken doll and Max hardlyswallowed the anxious knot that appeared in his throat. She looked so broken and vulnerable. Even when he had saved her on Myrkr, when her calf was bleeding, she hadn’t been so helpless and fragile, like she would never wake up, like this was too much and she was definitely shattered. He didn’t want to see her like that. He wished this had never happened. He had no idea what had happened, why she had suddenly reacted like that but he knew it was too real for her to be faking it. She was the strongest person he had ever known, even stronger than Taii or Softness. And now she was limply hanging in those bonds after an invisible attack.

He realized the attack wasn’t over because she still shivered, even trembled. It wasn’t as violent as in the cockpit but it still wasn’t good. He talked to her, begged her to wake up but she couldn’t hear him. He cradled her body in his arms and detached her, catching her as she fell limply. He was surprised at how light she was, like a feather and it also scared him. He was pretty sure she was too light for her height and age but Togrutas were different from humans so maybe it was normal, he had no idea. Kriff, he wasn’t even able to tell if she had somehow been injured during the crash. He knew though that he shouldn’t move her, but he had no other option: he needed to seek help from the planet’s inhabitants.

Max swiftly snaked his hand behind her back and under her knees, lifting her up as her head rolled back like a dummy. Her limbs were hanging at her sides and her face was pale. She was barely breathing, seemed to have trouble doing so and Max feared there might be a problem with her lungs. He could feel a sticky liquid on her back and quickly looked at her in concern. Her skin glistened from sweat in the artificial light that had turned back white and he hoped it was also sweat on her back. She was trembling as if she was ice cold but her skin was burning, sporting a dangerous fever.

He walked out of the ship, Fulcrum in his arms and was greeted by a harsh sand storm. They had crashed on Sriluur, the home planet of Weequays and some members of that race were coming his way. Max figured they probably wanted to salvage what was still functional on the ship and the smuggler was ready to fight them but Fulcrum’s safety and health came first.

“Please! Help her!”

There were only four Weequays and Max could see behind them some houses built into huge rocks, ideal shelter from the storms that were regular events on the planet, along with the burning light that made the inhabitants’ skin so rough and wrinkled. One of the Weequays came closer, he was wearing on old long and red coat that reached his knees. Some very dirty rings could be seen on his brown fingers and a golden tooth shone in the bright light as he spoke.

“What in the universe is my Jedi doing here?”

Max raised his eyebrows at his words but then he recognized him.

“Hondo!”

The young smuggler had met the pirate captain several times before, had even made deals and signed contracts with him. He knew Hondo and considered him to be a good business partner even though he had refused to join his gang. Max was working solo and he liked his freedom.

“Max! What are you doing here with my dear Ahsoka?” The captain said as he put his arm around the younger man’s shoulders, not bothered one bit by the sand flying around them. “Oh my, she doesn’t look good, does she? We better bring her inside.”

Max decided not to focus on the name he had given Fulcrum but he was glad Hondo knew the Togruta. They walked into the biggest house and the Naboo laid her on the bed after Hondo had brushed off the things lying on it, mostly empty bottles and different rags Max didn’t want to know what they served for. They covered Fulcrum with a blanket but she kept trembling. Hondo tried to make her drink some clear water, because most of his drinks weren’t soft drinks, but she trembled and moaned in pain so much, he kept spilling it on her chin.

The pirate wasn’t one to worry about the others, kriff he had no feelings for his own men, even now that only three of them were left and had come back with him on Sriluur, but seeing Ahsoka like that broke something inside of him. Especially since he had a good idea about what was going on. He put a wet cloth on her forehead, again with clear water and not booze, and then sighed and sat back at the table in the middle of the room.

The house had only one room and was roughly round. The bed was at the far end, whereas there was a table and several chairs in the middle of the room. A fire was burning on the right and several boxes filled with guns and other illegal stuff were stacked on the left near the door that was closed shut, even bolted because of the storm. Max stayed by Fulcrum’s side for a minute until Hondo spoke.

“You can’t do anything for her right now, kid.”

Max looked at him as the pirate poured some strong stuff in two dirty glasses before sitting on the chair across from him. He took the glass Hondo gave him and frowned at the burning taste of the spirit.

“What do you mean?” he asked, still frowning as his throat protested.

Hondo stayed silent and watched the Togruta squirm and groan and Max was about to bolt to her side again, but the pirate’s voice stopped him.

“A few hours ago, the Republic died. The new Emperor Palpatine proclaimed the Galactic Empire and declared all Jedi enemies of the Empire. They supposedly turned against him. There was a major fire at the Temple on Coruscant, I can’t see how anyone survived. I’ve been following everything on the radio.” He indicated the device next to him, softly hitting his glass on it. “Very dark days are ahead of us, kid.”

Max couldn’t believe it. He was sure Taii already knew everything that was to be known about these recent events but he had other questions in mind.

“What does it have to do with Fulcrum?”

Hondo sipped half his glass in one thirsty gulp, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve with a satisfying sound.

“You know very little about our friend here if you’re asking that question. Tell me, kid: how long have you known her?”

Max thought about it for a minute, counting down how many months had passed since he met her on Myrkr and came to the result of eight months. Hondo laughed at his answer.

“That’s it? I met her almost three years ago, kid. She and her Master along with Kenobi destroyed my plans. Something about silum and profit…” Hondo waved the last part away with his hand as if it didn’t matter.

When he saw the increasing frown on Max’s forehead, he decided to explain everything.

“Our friend here was a Jedi. And I bet you whatever I have left since my pirate days that her breakdown has something to do about the Force or whatever. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything that could help her here. You should take her somewhere safe, to a place where she’d feel comfortable because I’m not entirely sure she’ll be happy to see me.”

“Our ship is not going anywhere…”

“My guys are already looking at it.” They heard loud steps outside, they a heavy knock on the door and another Weequay walked in when Hondo allowed him. “Speaking of the devil… damage report?”

“The ship is mostly intact and that’s a miracle. One of the wings is slightly bent and the guns on it are completely crushed. The fuel tank is alright, I’ve never seen one so solid by the way. Some circuits are fried but nothing that can’t be repaired with what we have. Some wires have been cut and the navigation consol will need to be recalibrated before takeoff, it took a pretty bad hit.”

“How much time will it take?” Hondo asked.

“About six, maybe seven hours if all the guys work on it. We would do it faster with some new parts…”

Max stood up.

“I have some in the crates I brought in.” He turned to Hondo and extended his hand to him. “Let’s make a deal: you help me fix the ship and I’ll give you whatever’s left of my cargo.”

“Cargo destined where?”

“Cyborrea, but they shot us.”

Hondo smiled and shook Max’s hand.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, kid. It’s none of my business but where will you go? It’s not like you’re going to go back to Coruscant… and you don’t have a full tank…”

Ahsoka stirred more at that moment and even screamed. Max was at her side in an instant and wiped some sweat on her even paler than before forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open but closed after a few seconds as if she had no strength to keep them up.

“Lux…” she whispered and her voice sounded tired and weak. “Got to see Lux…”

“Where is Lux, Scarlett, where can we find him?”

Max had no idea who that was but figured it might be the man that had taken her heart. He didn’t want to argue with her and if he was the only person she had managed to think about through her dire situation, then it was a good enough shot to give for Max.

“Raxus…” she whispered and her head rolled to the side, her trembling resuming.


	22. Raxus - Part 1 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa / one day after Order 66_

“Here we are, Scarlett. Raxus, just like you wanted,” Max said and turned to look at the still sleeping but shivering Togruta in the co-pilot seat.

He had put her there because he didn’t dare leave her alone in her state. He had no idea what he would find on Raxus, since it was supposed to be a Separatists’ system, but he hoped he would find a friend. He blindly trusted Scarlett on this one and dearly hoped she was right. He had had no problem getting there because Sriluur was in the Hutt space and so was Raxus even though it was on the outskirts.

He had recognized who Fulcrum had been talking about. He knew only one person named Lux and it was Senator Bonteri, even though he had never met him in person. So naturally, he went for the Bonteri estate on Raxus. He was surprised to be able to get there without anyone trying to stop him, actually there were no ships at all. He couldn’t help but realize how much the place lacked security when he landed in front of what looked like a rich manor, all in grey stones.

Max grabbed Fulcrum and walked out of the ship that Hondo’s men really did repair and even did a fairly good job at it, surprisingly. An old man dressed in what looked like traditional elegant Raxus clothing and with white frothy hair greeted him. He immediately recognized the Togruta then called for Master Bonteri as he asked Max to wait inside, in some sort of small room where Max laid Fulcrum on the velvet couch.

A man walked in and immediately pushed Max to the side, kneeling in front of the wincing Togruta.

“Ahsoka! What happened to you?”

He took her hand in his and gently caressed her cheek which made her stir. She lazily opened her eyes and met Lux’s gaze. Or at least that’s what he thought because her eyes were unfocused as if she was blind. She reacted to his voice though.

“Lux?”

A wide smile spread on the Senator’s face.

“I’m right here.”

He placed her hand on his cheek but she had no strength and her hand fell to her side.

“Max…” she then said with a faint voice.

“I’m here Scarlett.”

He smiled and didn’t remind her that she had some serious explaining to do. He’d wait until she was feeling better for that.

“Thanks for… bringing me to the man who stole my heart.”

Lux became suddenly very red in the face and coughed a few times, at a loss for words whereas Max smiled more even though she couldn’t see it.

“No problem.”

“Jynna… could you check on Jynna? I fear… I’ve seen… Tass’lik… he’s going to hurt her… Max, please…”

“Don’t you worry, Scarlett. I’ll make sure Jynna’s fine. Now you rest and you get better,” Max said although he wasn’t sure if she truly could predict these kinds of things or if she was just delirious.

She nodded, her eyes still unable to focus and she fell back into unconsciousness. Lux then turned to the old man that greeted Max.

“George, will you please gather the maids and make sure Ahsoka is tucked in bed in our best guest room? Send for a doctor as well please and have the ladies tend to her, she’s burning up.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The old man bowed, disappeared and Lux turned to Max while Ahsoka was being carried away. He looked at the smuggler for a moment, eyeing him up and down just as Max was doing the same, all respect and politeness disappearing now that Fulcrum was gone and the two men were alone, left only in their roles of rivals.

“So, you’re the man who stole her heart, hum? Lucky you!” Max started.

“And you’re the one who had the opportunity and pleasure to be with her during the last months, hum?”

Then Lux pulled out his hand and Max shook it.

“Thank you. For taking care of her and bringing her here,” the Senator said and Max could see in his eyes he was truly thankful and relieved.

After that, Max excused himself, saying he had to keep his promise to make sure Jynna was fine and left Raxus aboard the _Sneaky_ , promising to be back once Fulcrum was better. Lux then rushed to the room Ahsoka had been placed in and sat by her side, holding her clammy hand until the doctor came and even then, he didn’t let go.

* * *

 

Ahsoka had never felt so helpless. Never and that was something. She had no idea how many time had passed since the first wave of pain hit her, but she kept living it through over and over again. It was so painful and she was so lost she had no idea how many times she saw the same images or in which order they appeared.

The first thing she felt and that was different from everything else, was the heat that was preventing her from breathing. It clutched at her throat, make her lungs burn with fire and her veins explode. Her heartbeat was like a constant ringing in her head and the fog that crept on her mind made her even more clueless. She felt this heavy and overpowering heat but at the same time, she had never felt colder. As if fire surrounded her but her heart was filled with ice. And she kept shivering and trembling, her body reacting violently to this unnatural mix.

That feeling of heat and cold at the same time was always there and never wavered. Once it had taken all her strength away, it simply prevented her from understanding and getting better. But the other images changed, disappeared and came back in a huge blur. At first she vaguely saw a dark and wide room, probably on Coruscant because of the window and the usual scenery of traffic and lights. Then there were four colors, more like flashes that fought. Green, blue, purple and red. The blue and green vanished after a few strikes and she saw three bodies fall to the ground. The more times that nightmare played in her head, the more details she was able to grasp, but never enough to understand enough. That time, she saw the faces of two Master Jedi from the Council she couldn’t remember the names, but then also Master Fisto. Then the purple and red lights clashed back and forth, creating a spiraling storm until they both died, first the red, then the purple. A heart wrenching scream followed the disappearance of the purple one and a blue light appeared. Ahsoka saw the silhouette of Master Windu and heard the deep and tired voice of an old but evil man. What frightened her the most was the fact that she heard the voice of Anakin too but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Next came four visions of different planets, some she recognized like Felucia, and four Jedi died. She didn’t know the last one, but screamed when Master Moondi, Secura and Plo all fell to the ground or crashed. She was fairly certain blaster shots had killed them and the armor of a clone trooper could be quickly seen before darkness engulfed her again. All the other visions made her scream, hurt like kriff but seeing Master Plo’s demise was worst than anything and it hurt her so much she felt like her heart might explode.

What came next felt like a thousand needles piercing her heart. She saw fire and smoke rising from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Her head was filled with screams of agony and she saw younglings fall to the ground to never rise again. She bled as the group she chaperoned during the Gathering was stroked down, all of them. It was a massacre and every hit of a blaster or lightsaber was followed by a body hitting the ground and a wave of sharp pain cutting her mind and her whole being through the Force. The Force was bleeding, she could feel it.

And if that wasn’t enough, the worst hit came last. She thought she was out of her nightmare because the heat subsided, allowing her to breathe and she felt some light fighting the dark somewhere. She could vaguely feel Obi-Wan’s Force signature fighting darkness somewhere, fighting a presence she couldn’t recognize but it was so evil that it made her skin crawl by simply thinking about it. Obi-Wan was alive! She was certain of it! But as the duel ended and some of the light remained in the Force, fuelled by another she could feel as Master Yoda who had survived too after his own duel with darkness, the same old and evil man from Coruscant, another wave of pain came and it broke all her defenses down, drowning her, filling up her lungs with bitter water she could spit out. It had very little to do with the Force, but it broke her, shattering her soul into a thousand pieces, leaving her in the same state as if she was nothing.

She felt Padme’s last breathe fade away, her heart stop beating, her last words echoing in her head like a reminder. She couldn’t feel the three sparks of hope that ignited at the same time that Padme died. She was too lost and broken to feel anything at all, even the hands holding her and shaking her, the pleading voices, the cool cloth on her forehead or the needle plunged into her arm. Like a shard of glass, she was broken and nothing or no one could pick up the pieces.


	23. Raxus - Part 2 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa / five days after Order 66_

Lux couldn’t believe that the first time he got to meet Ahsoka again it was in such conditions. He had wanted for her to come visit him, either on Raxus, Onderon or Coruscant. He had escaped to Raxus a few hours after the proclamation of the Empire, fearing for his life. He had kept his parents’ home, using his inherited fortune to keep the staff in the estate. George, his white-haired and eternal butler had refused to leave even after Mina’s death, stating that he had dedicated his life to the Bonteri family and had no desire whatsoever to change that. George was also from Onderon and had started serving Lux’s family even before his mother was born.

George’s wife, the head maid named Floriana, was a Mirialan in her late fifties but she was as energetic as a young person of twenty years old. She was very caring and had as much raised Lux as had his own mother; the two women had been very close. The couple had been in charge of everything at the Bonteri estate on Raxus and stayed often with their young master during Ahsoka’s rest. The other maids, the gardener and cook were coming and going, never staying longer than necessary in the premises.

On the first day, the doctor had come. A lot of things happened since the rise of the Empire, a lot of time, a lot of killing, a lot of fleeing from the Senate. Lux was pretty sure he would have to go back at some point, since he was still officially Onderon’s Senator, but so far, every politician had fled Coruscant. Everyone had gotten scared when they discovered the attack on the Senate chamber that the Emperor Palpatine rejected on survivor Master Yoda’s shoulders, making him an even greater traitor to the Empire.

Lux had actually been part of a certain secret meeting that Padme Amidala and Bail Organa had organized. He had been able to come to the last one and knew that some senator were seriously discussing a possible rebellion and looking for a way to take the former chancellor’s absolute powers away. But he had left Coruscant right after the announcement of the rise of the Empire, because one of the members of that secret meeting had been assassinated. He had arrived on Raxus a few hours than Max and Ahsoka actually and he was glad he left the capital.

The doctor looked at Ahsoka and ran a couple of tests, taking a sample of her blood for instance and wasn’t able to explain the reason of her “condition” as he called it. Lux didn’t tell him that Ahsoka was a Jedi because that would put the entire estate at risk, not just the Togruta and besides, the Senator didn’t think that doctors believed in such things as the Force. The doctor simply gave Lux some nutriments and complements to put in the Togruta’s IV because she didn’t seem to wake anytime soon. He also instructed Lux, Floriana and George on how to break the fever and keep Ahsoka safe during seizures but apart from that, he could do nothing for the young woman since he had no idea what was wrong with her. At least he couldn’t tell while she was unconscious.

So the first day, Lux stayed by Ahsoka’s side the whole time. He mostly held her hand and softly talked to her. At first, he begged and pleaded her to wake up, reassuring her that she was safe, that everything would be fine, that he was there for her. He changed the cloth on her forehead every hour and checked her IV to see if everything was fine. After her brief moments of consciousness when Max was still present, she hadn’t awakened. She kept sweating and burning up to the point when, during the night from the first to the second day, Lux had to call the doctor back because her temperature had risen way to high. The doctor had been forced to give her a shot of bacta mixed with something that was too scientific for Lux to remember and Ahsoka’s fever had descended to a reasonable temperature.

On the second day, Floriana forced Lux to eat something while she washed Ahsoka a bit and checked her for any injuries. But besides some slight bruises, she didn’t find anything to her relief. George even managed to take Lux out for a walk in the gardens but the young Senator kept looking at Ahsoka’s window he could see from the gardens when he had had his first conversation with her, the first time he had actually got to know her. It was in these gardens that their relationship had really started, as friends. But Lux wanted something more. Since that day on Carlac, he thought about her a lot and it had gotten worse after freeing Onderon. During all those months when he hadn’t seen her, he was secretly trying to come up with a plan to surprise her and go visit her, but everything had gone wrong at the time, as if the universe didn’t want them to be together. First she had been on trial for something he knew all along she hadn’t done, then she was banned from the Jedi Order, then she left completely. He had been worried sick during those times, especially after Padme had called him to make sure she had safely arrived at Onderon. Then she had taken a dangerous job on Corellia and then she ended up on Nar Shaddaa, which at first, he thought was the worst thing that could happen. But looking at her as she lay in bed completely broken and helpless made him revise his definition of worst.

On the second day, she started muttering, even screaming at times. Lux was there all the time, getting bolder and more comfortable with her every time she was tormented, caressing her forehead and lekku, holding her in a gentle embrace. He realized that she calmed down a bit every time he stroked the lekku so he took it as a sign and managed to help her out a bit. He was sure that she could, maybe not hear him, but feel his presence, that she knew he was there. He hoped so at least. She muttered names, some of them he knew, others he didn’t but he was fairly certain the belonged to members of the Jedi Order. Her fever actually broke during the evening that day so Lux was very hopeful as he fell asleep next to her only to wake up in the middle of the night, a blanket around his shoulders and a cold cut of tea on the table next to the bed, compliments of Floriana.

But the third day things got so bad Lux thought he would lose her. She started screaming at first, so loud and high-pitched as if she was being tortured. Lux had no idea she could scream for so long. No matter what he did, she wouldn’t stop. And then she stopped as suddenly as she started, only to have a violent seizure. Lux did as the doctor had told him, George and Floriana bursting into the room. But after a few minutes of violent trembling, Ahsoka screamed a name and fell back on the bed, not moving a muscle. Her heart had stopped beating. Lux knew from that moment that something really bad had happened somewhere else. George managed to revive her and the doctor was called once again. They ended up attaching her to a breathing machine until her respiratory system functioned normally again. Lux tried hard not to cry seeing her like that. He wished he could just erase those images from his mind but they were burned forever and only made him want to protect and care for her more.

It’s in the middle of the morning that he learned that Padme had passed away. Bail invited him to her funeral on Naboo the next day and so Lux spend the rest of the third day watching Ahsoka, holding her hand for hours, looking at her pale face and weak body. He didn’t care that she was paler than a ghost, that she was losing weight dramatically, that she couldn’t breathe on her own and had to have a heart monitor brought as well into the room. He still found her beautiful and had only one desire: to see her magnetic blue eyes again.

The fourth day, he attended Padme’s funeral alongside Bail. The Senator of Alderaan then invited Lux to his temporary quarters and told the younger man some secrets. Like the fact that Padme had actually given birth to two beautiful and healthy babies, one of them being adopted by Bail himself. That Obi-Wan and Yoda, although in hiding, were still alive. In exchange, Lux told him about Ahsoka’s presence and condition and Bail promised to inform the other two Jedi.

When Lux was back, he rushed at Ahsoka’s side again and Floriana assured him nothing had changed with Miss Soka, as she liked to call her. Lux had realized that Floriana had again changed the flowers in the vase standing on the nightstand. She had brought fresh flowers every day, saying it might help and if not, it was still a nice touch to the room. Lux had chosen that room for her because it was the brightest and the wide windows had a nice view on the gardens where they had started to know each other. The gardens were particularly lovely in that time of year and Lux had asked the gardener to take extra special care of them. He wanted Ahsoka to see them and was certain she’d be thrilled.

The rest of the fourth day didn’t change much except that Lux started telling her stories, stories about his life as a Senator when she wasn’t there in the last months. Some of those things, he had already told her, but some others he hadn’t. He tried to sound joyful and optimistic every time he spoke and even mentioned the great news about Padme’s babies although her death was still a very sensitive topic for the entire estate since Senator Amidala had been very close to Mina.

On the fifth day, things were starting to get a bit better. Ahsoka’s lungs started functioning normally again and they detached the breathing machine, although they left it in the corner of the vast room, just in case. Max called on her comlink to tell that Jynna was fine. The smuggler had no idea how Ahsoka knew it but Tass’lik had tried to attack the house. Luckily Jynna locked herself inside and activated all the security and Ahsoka did a great job at improving them because after being stunned for the third time, the Trendoshian gave up. Taiilyrra assigned both Max and Softness to keep an eye on the young Twi’lek for the rest of the week and all the village’s inhabitants stuck together against any threat. They had never been more united against the rest of the world. Lux had no idea who these people were apart from Max and Jynna, both who he had met, one in flesh and bones, the other through hologram but they seemed like a big family, a big family Ahsoka had found herself a place in and he was happy for her. He hoped he could find a place in her heart too. So he told her about Jynna and how Max arrived on time to see Tass’lik turn tail and run, how everything turned out fine and the Senator could swear he saw a tear glisten in the corner of her eye.

He quickly fell asleep after that and was woken up by a swift movement in front of him. His head was lying on her bed, his arms being his pillow and his left hand covering hers. Her fingers twitched just a little bit and it was enough to bring him from the world of dreams, or rather lack of them in his case. It was the evening, the sun was setting and its last rays of the day were pouring into the room, covering half of the bed in a golden veil. He saw her fingers twitch once more and he bolted up right, sitting in his chair as if struck by lightning. He grabbed her hand as gently as his excitement allowed it and squeezed a bit. She frowned and turned her head to the right, where he was sitting. After painful seconds that seemed like hours, her eyelids struggled to open, fluttering for a while.

Her blue eyes couldn’t focus on anything at first and she groaned slightly at the light, but then concentrated on Lux and his face stopped being a blur of colors. After a while, she was able to see clearly and a small smile crept on her tired face.

“Hey,” he said, holding her hand in both of his.

He was too weak to speak, didn’t even try as her eyelid were already half-closed. But she kept smiling with the little strength she managed to muster and squeezed his hand back.


	24. Raxus - Part 3 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa / six days after Order 66_

Seeing Ahsoka’s eyes after such a long time was the most beautiful thing Lux had ever seen. Of course, he had looked deep into her eyes before, but this time it was different. This time he had actually longed to see them. As if it was the only way he could survive. As if the future of the entire galaxy was reduced to her opening her eyes.

She only woke up for a little while on the fifth day but when she fell asleep again, she was getting better. Soon, her life wasn’t in danger anymore and she slept peacefully, a small satisfied smile on her lips as her chest rose and fell without any tremor. Lux spent hours looking at her sleeping until Floriana almost kicked his butt for skipping dinner again.

The sixth day, Ahsoka was fully awake in the morning. She seemed rested enough to go through the day but some of her senses remained dysfunctional and her mind was still foggy. Lux helped her out during the first hours because she was still very weak. She could hear and see him perfectly, but complained about a steady buzzing in her head that prevented her from using her montrals in this way she usually used them. She wasn’t too concerned about that though; certain it would come back in time. She wasn’t in immediate danger either and for the first time, she allowed herself to entirely rely on others.

They ate breakfast together in her room. She wasn’t complaining about her inability to move or do anything by herself so far but Lux knew her enough to know there would be a time when she’d been frustrated with the whole situation. He tried not to think about that moment when she’d decide to do things her way though and enjoyed his breakfast. They talked about many things once Ahsoka’s voice was back to normal and not the raspy and dry tones she had when she woke up for the first time.

“And that time on Mandalore?”

“Yeah, I remember, I saved your ass. Wasn’t the first and won’t be the last,” Ahsoka said with a smile and a wink.

Floriana, who was just passing in the corridor, stopped to look through the half-open door and smiled before resuming her walk, not wanting to interrupt them. Lux kept staring at Ahsoka’s beautiful eyes which made the Togruta slightly uncomfortable.

“Why are you looking at me like this?” She asked, her cheeks reddening and her lekku stripes darkening.

“Because I just love your eyes. I feared I’d never see them again and now that I can look at them, I’m not going to stop.”

Ahsoka blushed even more but as soon as she got lost in her thoughts, her smile disappeared and all seriousness was brought to her face. She was sitting in the bed three times her size, her back against the headboard and a whole wall of cushions. She brought the silk sheets a bit higher, covering her waist and almost her chest as if to hide the light nightdress Floriana helped her put on an hour ago.

“Tell me what happened, Lux.”

That sentence sent shivers down his spine and the way Ahsoka looked at him with pleading eyes, he felt his throat tighten. Suddenly he just couldn’t breathe.

“Tell me everything. What occurred in the Senate, in the galaxy in general and… in the Jedi Order too. Please. I _need_ to know.”

Her small hands were holding the sheets so tightly to her chest that the bright orange color turned to white, matching the silk. The way her tone had hit him, the way she looked at him, he just couldn’t tell her no. He knew he probably shouldn’ttell her everything since she was barely out of her condition and the last thing he wanted was to make her relapse. But something in the way she asked him and held herself on the bed told him she could handle it. It was almost as if she needed to hear what has become of the rest of the world, as if it was the last step to her recovery. She slowly left the wall of cushions, making some of them fall from behind her and grabbed one of his hands, jerking him out of his trance. Her intense stare met his and, kriff, he just couldn’t resist those eyes.

So he told her everything. Without leaving out a single detail and not looking for words to make things seem less frightening than they truly were. He was fully honest, didn’t disguise the ugly truth behind pretty lies. She appreciated that. He told her about the Senate session when the Empire had been proclaimed, the change in Palpatine’s appearance, the fire and the attack on the Jedi temple. He told her that a certain Vader had attacked the temple and was the Emperor’s henchman. He told her about the different assassinations, about how the Emperor ruled with an iron fist. He told her about Padme’s funeral, how beautiful, serene and sad it had been and he was fairly certain that at this point she would cry.

She listened carefully, drinking every word he said. She didn’t flinch even when he mentioned things she didn’t want to hear. She listened through it all, calm and collected as if she was listening to some soothing music. The only thing that betrayed her was the small twitching of her lips, on the left corner. It slightly trembled every time Lux mentioned something horrible or a person Ahsoka knew very well. Lux was surprised to realize he had been able to catch that twitching and discovered how well he actually knew her despite the small amount of time they had spent together over the course of the last year.

Once he was done, he expected her to cry. He could see she was holding back the tears but not a single one fell down on her cheeks. She bravely held everything in, breathing in and out steadily, trying to regain her composure as her brain processed all the things he had just said. His hand covered hers and a faint smile appeared on her face before she lied down again, a shadow of exhaustion draping her in a dark halo.

He let her nap and accepted to spend a little time with George and Floriana now that he was sure Ahsoka was on her way to recovery. The Togruta woke up in the late afternoon and Lux was actually quite surprised to see her sitting on the edge of the bed when he entered her room.

“Ahsoka! What are you doing?”

He was at her side in seconds and grabbed her slightly trembling shoulder. Her feet were dangling in the empty space between the bed and the floor but she didn’t seem to be about to jump down. In fact, it seemed she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. As if she physically couldn’t handle so much effort.

“You should lie down! Your body hasn’t recovered yet!”

“I’m fine…” she managed to hiss through gritted teeth. Sweat appeared on her forehead.

“No, you’re not. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

But she didn’t give in and put her hands on either side of her legs, slender fingers tightly gripping the mattress as if she was expecting him to yank her from her position. But he did no such thing and still tried to reason with her like the good Senator he was.

“You know you can be really stubborn sometimes?”

She laughed a little even though her joy was cut short by the effort that was draining all her strength. She slipped one leg a bit more off the edge, slowly reaching the wooden floor. Lux wasn’t touching her more than the hand on her shoulder and he wasn’t even putting pressure, he didn’t want to hinder her. He was simply ready to catch her if anything went wrong. She clenched her teeth and slid her leg further down, her nightdress reaching slightly above her knees. But the second her bare foot touched the ground, her arms gave way and she tumbled face first into Lux’s chest. He caught her effortlessly and put her back in bed, despite her complaints and weak threats.

“Lux, I want to go out. I’ve been lying in this bed for too long. I know I can’t go back to Nar Shaddaa yet and that Max will do everything to keep Jynna safe. But I want to start moving a bit, I can’t sit there forever.”

“Ahsoka,” he said with his soothing voice that instantly melted her heart. “It’s only been six days since you arrived here. You’re too weak to move yet. If you want, I could bring a wheelchair tomorrow and take you to see the gardens. I’ve been waiting to show them to you, asked the gardener to take extra care because they are particularly beautiful this time of year.”

He aligned her legs like they were supposed to, not even blushing when his fingers brushed her thighs. Then he put the covers back on her waist and even to her chest and rearranged the cushions around her so she was as comfortable as possible.

“Forget about the wheelchair, I’m not old, just weak. For now. And I don’t need you to babysit me,” she pouted before quickly adding in a low voice as if she was talking to herself only “although it’s kind of nice to have you here.”

“What was that?” he asked playfully, having heard it all.

“Nothing,” she lied, turning her head to the side.

The next thing she knew, she was fast asleep.

The seventh day, Ahsoka made it out of the bed before Lux caught her after breakfast. Of course, she had just fallen face first on the floor and laid there on her stomach until he came back, an embarrassed but way too proud grin on her face. He was starting to get mad at her stubbornness and put her back in bed again. He threatened to watch her the entire day. She threatened to use her Jedi tricks on him. They both pouted at each other, she in the bed, sitting against the headboard and he in the chair next to her, looking in the opposite direction.

From then, it became a sort of game between them. Every time Lux would leave just for a few minutes, Ahsoka would try to get out of bed. At first she simply fell but every time she got slightly closer to the door, always crawling though. After three days of that, Lux attached her right wrist to the bed with a scarf. When he came back, she had easily detached it and was even in the middle of the room, flat on her belly, arms sprawled on either side as if she was in the middle of a swimming movement but Lux knew she had just ran out of energy. She still had enough strength to grin like crazy though. He didn’t like how much fun she was having at first because he almost got a heart attack every time he entered her room. But after the tenth day since her arrival, he realized all the progress she had made. First physically because even though she always ended up sprawled and helpless on the floor, she someone managed to get further every time she tried, a sign that her muscles were working again, even for a few seconds. Then he had realized she was also healing mentally, that every time she grinned which annoyed him because he considered she didn’t care about how worried he was, she was feeling better. She even laughed and had fun. She was having fun. A few days back she didn’t seem to be having any fun at all.

So from the tenth day, he stopped worrying and yelling at her. They just joked around, playfully throwing each other empty threats and every time one of them did that, the other’s eyes were filled with so much passion, a sudden sexual tension could be sensed in the room. It became a sort of routine. Ahsoka tried to escape, Lux brought her back to bed, at square one. He even walked out of her room more often to give her more chances to escape and she didn’t protest anymore when he lifted her in his arms that had become much stronger since Onderon. It was if a silent pact had been signed between them. Every time, she got closer to the door and he had to put more effort because the distance to get her to bed was bigger. Until on the fifteenth day, a surprise awaited him when he came back after asking Floriana if she could make some tea.

Ahsoka was leaning in the door frame. She hadn’t been crawling like usually, Lux could tell because her knees and elbows weren’t scrapped like they normally were after all the lying and moving on the floor like a Hutt. She was breathing hard and had to hold onto the doorframe to steady herself but her grin had never been broader.

“I made it…” she said before collapsing and he caught her swiftly. “Mission accomplished.”

She seemed really proud of herself and although she was shaking like crazy again and was about to faint out of exhaustion, Lux felt proud and honored to hold such a strong and brave woman in his arms.

“I’m getting better Lux.”


	25. Raxus - Part 4 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / eight months after leaving the Jedi Order / five months on Nar Shaddaa / 20 days after Order 66_

Lux had decided he wanted to make Ahsoka feel special on the twentieth day. Not that it wasn’t already the case, but he had fallen for her. He had been attracted to her the first day they met and the more time they spent together, the stronger his feelings had become. He wasn’t sure during the freeing of Onderon, he hesitated, torn between conflicting feelings towards both Ahsoka and Steela, until he realized Ahsoka was the one and it wasn’t love he felt for Steela. No matter what his brain told him, his heart was turned towards the Togruta.

He deeply cared about her but he was yet too shy to tell her up front. He knew it was just a matter of time before she left again. She was like a wild flame, shining bright through the night, warm and beautiful, dancing on top of the coals. Only the strongest of winds could extinguish her and he had feared that might happen when Max brought her. But she had pulled through and he was so proud of her. He knew that if he got too close, he might get burnt but he couldn’t help being drawn towards her like a moth. He also knew she couldn’t stay put for too long, it wasn’t in her nature and she needed to do her thing which was basically saving the universe.

But his heart belonged to her and her only. Now he knew it. He had fully realized it during the last two weeks. When he watched over her and later when she had finally woken up. During all their games of crawling and putting back to bed. Lux was pretty sure that as soon as she was able to fight, she’d be gone. She seemed to have developed strong ties with Jynna and even Nar Shaddaa as a whole but Lux wasn’t jealous. He simply didn’t want her to go away so quickly after he just found her again. He was fairly aware that it was probably a matter of weeks before she left and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop her.So he tried to spend as much time with her as possible and so that twentieth day, he had dressed better than usually, climbed his hair and pulled it back just the way he had when they first met. He stood outside her door with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, red tulips from the gardens. He simply stood there, shaking slightly, hesitating.

“Come on, Bonteri, you can do this!” he said to himself.

He took a few deep breaths and knocked on her door before entering. He didn’t wait for her to invite him in because she had told him to enter without asking. But he froze in the entrance when he saw the bedroom was empty. He knew Ahsoka had been moving in her room, doing some stretching and other stuff, but she didn’t leave. Not without him finding out. He came to her bed and found her nightdress strewn across the sheets, sheets that look like she had just gotten out of them. She couldn’t be far, he told himself. All her other personal belongings were still there like her gloves.

That’s when he noticed the open window and the satin curtains being blown inside by the wind. His heart skipped a bit and the flowers fell from his hands.

“Oh no…” he barely whispered.

The color was drained from his face as he made his way to the window, his weak legs threatening to give way under his weight. He almost didn’t dare look through it. His hands were shaking when he put them on the edge of the window and he swallowed with difficulty before looking down, dreading what he could see. Instead of finding Ahsoka’s broken body after the three floors fall, he saw nothing different from the usual bushes that decorated the grounds. He could make out some footprints in the earth though, two small boot prints. He immediately recognized them as Ahsoka’s, even from three floors up.

He looked up at the gardens, he could see them clearly and a little bit to the side since they weren’t exactly in front of the entrance. That’s when he saw a small silhouette on the side, near the massive stairs that led to the belvedere. Actually, there was someone _on_ the stairs and not _near_ them. He immediately recognized Ahsoka’s lithe figure. She was moving swiftly along the wide ramp of the stairs, the same one he had been sitting on the day they met and before they started to trust each other. She was jumping up and down, practicing some graceful movements while using the Force or simply her flexibility, he couldn’t tell. But one thing was certain: he could spend his entire day watching her move.

He shook himself from that hypnosis and quickly went downstairs to meet her. He passed Floriana in the halls and the older Mirialan simply laughed at his hastiness as if she was remembering some time from her youth. That memory probably involved George. Lux was on the stone stairs in seconds.

“Ahsoka, what are you doing?”

He realized he didn’t think about making some noise beforehand to let her know he was coming. He didn’t want her to slip and break her neck on the concrete, but she somehow knew because she didn’t acknowledge his presence at first, continuing jumping up and down like he wasn’t even there. Sometimes she landed on her hands and used them to propel herself even higher but she always landed with grace and didn’t lose her footing even once. Now that Lux was so close, he realized she was holding her two vibroblades. He cursed under his breath. He should have never let her keep them in her room.

“Practicing,” she shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Lux crossed his arms on his chest and sat at the top of the stairs.

“Geez Ahsoka, you’re going to give me a heart attack someday! I know you can’t stand sitting in bed all day now that you’re better, but you could have used the door instead of slipping through the window! What are you, a Kowakian monkey-lizard?”

She grinned at that but didn’t say a word, focused on her task. Sweat glistened on her orange skin that was as colorful and smooth as ever. Lux had no idea for how long she had been out there ‘practicing’. The sun was probably to blame too because it was quite warm outside. Ahsoka was wearing the clothes she had when she came with Max, fresh and clean thanks to Floriana.

“I know you’re mad, Lux, but I need to get back into shape. And sitting all day drives me crazy.”

“I’m not mad, Ahsoka. I’m just worried.”

She stopped jumping and even sheathed her blades in her boots. At this point, Lux was even ready to buy her sheaths for her belt, he just found it ridiculous that she carried her blades like that. She climbed down from the ramp and came closer to him, her breathing heavy from the effort.

“It’s not that I don’t like you or this place, but I need to get ready for what’s out there,” she said while motioning to all around her.

“What’s out there?”

“The Empire, Lux. Now that all the Jedi have been marked for death, I can’t let my true identity be revealed. I have to hide who I really am and what I can do.”

She sat next to him so close he blushed but she didn’t seem to have any problem with that, almost as if she wasn’t aware of how close they were. He could touch her if he only slightly raised his hand.

“After I left the Order, I hid because I didn’t want to have anything to do with my past. I wanted to see what I was able to achieve without the Force, without being a Jedi. It had its ups and downs but I was able to learn a few things about myself along the way. But now…”

She lowered her head and any trace of a previous smile disappeared from her soft lips.

“Now I can’t go back. I can’t go back to the Jedi Order because there is no Jedi Order anymore. I’ve lost so many people; some much has been taken from me. But now I must hide to survive. Nobody can discover my former affiliation. I can’t sever my link to the Force but I can’t show it in plain sight either.”

There was a pause.

“Besides, I’ve got to go back to Nar Shaddaa. I can’t hide here forever and I know you can’t come with me. I won’t ask you to give up on your life and everything you’ve achieved so far just so you could be with me.”

She felt he was about to protest, that’s why she put her finger on his lips, shushing him and blushing slightly in the process, her lekku strips darkening.

“Listen to me because I’m not sure I’ll be able to repeat it. All of this is really new to me and I’ve heard so many times before that long distance relationships don’t work, but I don’t care. I want to try it anyway. I’m still a Force-user but I’m not part of the Order. I’m not bound by its rules anymore. Sure I still respect the Jedi code but my Master couldn’t help himself and found love. I guess we could say like Master,like student…”

Lux didn’t say anything.

Instead, he kissed her.

It was passionate but shy at the same time, as they were both kind of new at this. Technically, they had already kissed on Carlac, but now it was real and something else entirely. For instead, they both closed their eyes. Lux’s hand reached Ahsoka’s back and her hands flew to the back of his head, pulling him even closer. Ahsoka knew they would both make mistakes, that they were both new and clumsy with this whole romance thing. But she believed they’d get through it. After all, everything happened for a reason. After a while, they both pulled back, gasping for air. Somehow, Lux didn’t feel the urge to reveal her his feelings anymore. Somehow he knew that she knew, that she had even known it all along.

“So, we’re a thing now, hum?” he asked.

She playfully punched him before resting her head gently on his shoulder as he put his arm around her small frame.

“I guess Jynna was right. You _are_ my boyfriend. She’s going to be impossible to stand once she’ll find out.”

Lux then stood up and helped Ahsoka.

“Come on, let’s get some breakfast before Floriana drags us to the mess hall.”

Ahsoka couldn’t help but laugh, the exhaustion from her training gone with that simple action, her heart and head light as feathers. She really enjoyed Floriana and George’s company and understood their bond with the Bonteri family and especially Lux that they had known since he was a baby. But before they went back inside, Lux’s gaze fell on the stairs.

“Although next time, try not to give me a heart attack if you decide to disappear again. Maybe you could do some meditation rather than rough physical training?”

Ahsoka could tell he was teasing her from the slight hint in his voice and she punched him again in the shoulder as they walked up the steps.

“I’ve been through worse, you know? Besides, meditation… I don’t feel up to it. Yet. I need some time to process everything that’s happened. It all had a huge influence in the Force and I can’t just wonder through it now since I’m wanted as a Jedi.”

Ahsoka didn’t tell him, but she was afraid of fully connecting with the Force. First because she didn’t want this Darth Vader or whoever he was to find her. Second because the Force wasn’t the same now that all those voices had died. The Force signature of many Jedi like Master Plo or Shaak Ti, even Barriss, had left a void in the Force, a void she knew was filled by their essence that was now one with the Force, but Ahsoka wasn’t ready to feel that yet. She needed some time to gather her thoughts and mental strength but meditation was definitely on her list of things to achieve in the next month. That and getting to know Mister Bonteri more.

She tried to focus on the positive things, like for instance the three sparks of hope she had felt and could still feel in different parts of the galaxy. She couldn’t tell where they were coming from, but she knew they were not all on the same planet which was good. She hoped the Empire wouldn’t find them. She was also fairly certain those sparks would later become Younglings and she promised herself, she’d do whatever she could to help them. She also felt other sparks scattered around the galaxy, but those were more distant and stronger, almost like a small flame already.

Lux brought her out of her thoughts when he took her hand. She was surprised to find she didn’t mind and didn’t pull it out. She owed him the world. For what they just started but also for saving her. More than that, he didn’t simply save her life on a physical level. He was the one that gathered all her broken pieces and glued them back together. He and not Max. Lux was the one that fixed her when she was broken. She still was actually, although she was mending. Her mind wondered to Anakin. Of all the Jedi, she couldn’t figure out what had happened to him. She had felt him disappear but not like the others and she could still feel a connection, like he wasn’t dead. She wanted to see Obi-Wan and would try to do so at some point, asking the latter about her former Master would be a good idea.

As they were walking the steps she drove her fingers through his hair, undoing his hairdo.

“I like it better when it’s wild. You look sexier.”

He blushed as hard as she did.


	26. Raxus - Part 5 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / nine months after leaving the Jedi Order / six months on Nar Shaddaa / one month after Order 66_

Ahsoka had planned on making a surprise for Floriana and George. She owed the two elders as much as she owed Lux. And she had actually learned from the latter that it was the couple’s wedding anniversary so she decided to treat them to a nice dinner. Of course, she dragged Lux into her plan. He had been weary at first, couldn’t see how her idea would work without the couple noticing anything but she ended up convincing him and so they put the plan in motion at the beginning of the afternoon. Everybody else had been dragged into the plan as well, all the other members of the staff besides Floriana and George. The cook was preparing a secret dinner, Floriana’s favorite dish and Lux had dug up from the cellar George’s favorite wine.

Ahsoka helped the gardener with flowers and they set up the table in the gardens. But not anywhere near the belvedere near the mansion. The Bonteri estate was so huge the gardens only covered half of the entire terrain. The rest of the grounds were fields of grass that Lux’s ancestors used to farm. In the last decades, since the Bonteri family had actually become noble and wealthy, these fields became a peaceful meadow, with occasionally some wild animals passing by. Nothing remotely dangerous lived on Raxus though so it was alright.

Ahsoka already knew the gardens by heart since she had trained there from the moment she could make it past her bedroom door. Once she and Lux stopped clowning around in her room, they actually started playing hide and seek in the gardens, because the mansion was too small and Lux knew it by heart. He also almost had a heart attack when Ahsoka hid on the roof once so they moved the playing to the gardens from then.

As the table was getting ready near the orchard at the far end of the gardens, Lux kept George busy. The old man was delighted to have some company during endless hours and didn’t suspect a thing. Lux mainly kept him from wondering outside. When Ahsoka finished dressing the table she checked how the cook was doing. Then it was her turn to keep Floriana busy, since the maids were supposed to have the night off, just like the cook and gardener. So Ahsoka joined the older lady in the laundry room where the Mirialan was folding freshly cleaned clothes.

“Floriana, let me help you!” The Togruta asked and grabbed a shirt she started folding.

It was one of Lux’s and she held it to her nose for a moment, breathing in the scent of lavender Floriana used to wash the clothes. The smell of flowers was overwhelming but Ahsoka could actually slightly make out Lux’s usual scent, his kind of masculine odor she got used to in the last couple of days. It had only been ten days since they officially dated but nothing was awkward between them, it was almost as if they had been dating for the last year from the very first day they met. She felt more connected to him than ever. Of course, there were some clumsy and awkward moments, especially during intimacy times because they were both new at this stuff. Ahsoka had been surprised to hear that Lux was still a virgin just like her. She had her reasons, Jedi code and all, and she didn’t think he was a playboy or anything, she simply thought that any young man at the age of seventeen had at least once been laid. Lux laughed when she hold him that and kissed her, but she noticed how red his cheeks had become.

“So… for how long have you been working here, Floriana?”

The older woman stopped folding the dress she was holding, one of Mina’s that Ahsoka borrowed, even though she didn’t feel comfortable with such length since it reached her ankles.

“Well, I arrived here a little while after Mister and Misses Bonteri got married. I’ve helped lady Mina through her whole pregnancy and raising the young Master.” Ahsoka chuckled at that because Lux hated being called ‘ _young Master’_ and it was one of Floriana’s greatest pleasures. “But George had been working here for much longer than that, when Mister Bonteri, was only a boy.”

“Do you have kids?”

The question blurted out on its own, Ahsoka didn’t even think about it and she immediately regretted asking it. Some people were uncomfortable with that kind of things, she was for instance, and she knew almost nothing about Floriana’s past. She didn’t want to sound rude or intrusive and carefully eyed the Mirialan who just laughed heartily, her heavy chest rising up and falling like a mountain of softness.

“Yes, George and I did. We had a little boy who grew up and left us. Well, he left Raxus rather quickly because he wanted to join the army and we let him go. He passed away before the beginning of the war, but he had a very happy and full life.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, there nothing to be sorry about. It was hard to burry my own child, but he was a good boy, a good man.”

The two women then talked about mundane stuff, things such as the end of the war. Ahsoka actually learned that the older couple had no love whatsoever for the Emperor. She helped Floriana finish up with the laundry and put every cloth back into each room before asking the Mirialan to come with her to the grounds, to look at the orchard. Ahsoka said the trees were so beautiful this time of the year and Floriana agreed, with no idea that George and Lux was walking there at the same time. Once the couple was reunited, the cook brought the dinner before leaving for the night. Lux and Ahsoka quickly excused themselves, leaving the older couple to their romantic dinner. Lux even forbade the two elders doing any chores that evening and night, forcing them to take the night off.

Ahsoka and Lux actually had prepared a picnic for themselves and took it to the meadow where they watched the sunset and ate. They were at the dessert when Ahsoka mentioned Nar Shaddaa.

“You know, I get it why you can’t come.” He looked at her in the light from an old neon lamp. “And I fully respect that. I even admire you more because of that.”

“What are you talking about, Ahsoka?”

“You want to stay the Senator of Onderon, right? It’s a miracle the Emperor hadn’t called you yet. I mean, I know some rules have to be made and that a lot is going to be changed in the Senate, if there still will be a Senate, but you’ll stay Senator. It might be dangerous, the Empire will probably put some pressure on you and have you on a short leash but I know you’ll do your best to help those in need. You always do. And that’s why you can’t come to Nar Shaddaa with me. Because you were not meant to be an outlaw, a criminal.”

“And you were?”

Lux was lying on the blanket they had brought while Ahsoka was sitting on the other side of it, near the lamp.

“I don’t know. But I am a criminal now, well if I ever reveal that I’m a Jedi I will be. But everyone’s considered an outlaw on Nar Shaddaa, it’s the smuggler’s moon for kriff’s sake!”

He smiled at the curse because she used it a lot.

“What I mean is that you have your path and I have mine. Like we always did. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of what we have now.”

He grabbed the hand she was reaching out for him.

“I’ve never been in a relationship before, even less a long distance relationship, but I’m sure we can make this work. We might not see each other all the time, but I believe in what we have. In us.”

They kissed before finishing the dessert.

“So, what are you going to do once you’re back on Nar Shaddaa? Go back to being a repairer?”

“I guess. Now that I have a ship, I need a proper droid to help me out. An R2 unit would be best, but these are getting more and more difficult to find. I haven’t seen one since my contract on Corellia and that was a while ago. And believe me, I play with droid parts everyday on Nar Shaddaa.”

He nodded at that. Ahsoka had a thought for her former Master and R2D2. She had always marveled at the bond the droid and human shared in spite of everything and how far Anakin was willing to go to have his dear metal friend back. They didn’t have the time to talk about anything else though because dark clouds zoomed over their heads and heavy rain was pounding on them in seconds.

“And Floriana had warned me about the possible bad weather!” Lux yelled over the noise.

Laughing and screaming like children, they grabbed everything, even the lamp and headed for the mansion. They had to go through the gardens and so they ran past the orchard only to find the dinner table empty. Once they got near the belvedere, Ahsoka took him by the hand and they found shelter under it.

“Let’s wait it out a bit before running like crazy to the stairs!” she said, sitting on the stone bench just like the first time they had met.

They quickly caught a glimpse of George and Floriana kissing in the corridor inside the mansion, but the couple disappeared into their personal quarters, much to Lux’s relief.

“Looks like some people are busy tonight!” Lux said.

“What makes you think you won’t be, Mister Bonteri?” Ahsoka asked as she pulled him closer, leaving a wet kiss on his lips.

Before she knew it, his hands were on her back, stroking the small of it in painfully slow circles and her back lek, which only made her moan in pleasure.

“Ahsoka?” He asked in her neck once they pulled apart. “Do you want me like I want you?”

The question didn’t surprise her and she felt herself blush. She got confirmation that her lekku striped had darkened when Lux chuckled.

“Yes, I do.”

Lux then laid the blanket on the stone bench. It was wet, but less than their clothes and truthfully, it was still warm outside because of the season. He gently kissed Ahsoka again and she responded ever so passionately. He then proceeded to sit on the bench and brought her on his lap. His left hand left her back to fall on her front and she gasped as they had never been that far.


	27. Raxus - Part 6 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / ten months after leaving the Jedi Order / seven months on Nar Shaddaa / two months after Order 66_

Ahsoka woke up in Lux’s arms and softly looked at him. He was still fast asleep and snored a little but it was so faint she almost didn’t hear it. She shifted slightly, making his left arm slid from her waist. She simply looked at his peaceful face, how his chest rose and fell and how detached from the rest of the universe he seemed. She pressed her hand to his chest, resting in gently above his heart until she could feel its steady beat under it.

She recalled what they had done the night before and smiled. She didn’t regret it but she could see why the Jedi forbade attachment. She felt closer to Lux than ever and what they have just entered a whole new level. She understood the dangers of attachment but she was too happy to linger on that thought as she softly kissed his forehead before climbing out of bed. He didn’t budge one bit but she couldn’t bring herself to stay in bed, no matter that the sun just came up. She felt more energetic than ever and felt like starting the day right away.

She found George in the kitchen. The old man was wearing a peignoir and was behind the stove. A whistled cheerful tune escaped his lips as he danced while holding a frying pan, turning eggs. Ahsoka knocked on the door so she wouldn’t startle him and the old man smiled warmly.

“Good morning, darling. How did you sleep?”

She came next to him and started making herself some tea. She grabbed a Yogan fruit and sat down at the table.

“Very well. You?”

“Well also. Thank you for the lovely evening by the way. Floriana and I didn’t have the chance to spend some alone quality time since Mina’s death.”

They talked a little bit until the old man finished cooking and Lux came into the kitchen, his shirt roughly strewn across his shoulders, wearing otherwise only his boxers and his hair a real mess. Ahsoka was fully dressed and laughed at the sight.

“Well, well! Looks like someone slept well last night!”

Lux didn’t even blush this time as if he wasn’t fully aware or awake to realize Ahsoka was making fun of him. He yawned and sat in front of her at the table. They ate breakfast in silence after George left tobring breakfast to Floriana in their room.

It had been a month since Order 66 and Ahsoka wanted to make contact with the remaining Jedi, which included Master Yoda and Kenobi. Yoda was out of the charts, he had gone into exile from what she had heard from Bail Organa and the Senator of Alderaan was the only one that could help her seek Obi-Wan out, so she was planning on paying him a visit. But first, she needed a trusty droid just like R2. She already had a ship and she knew that Max would be glad to be her co-pilot if she asked nicely, but they weren’t exactly partners. Friends, sure, but they weren’t part of any team of any sort. And Ahsoka hoped times wouldn’t get as dark as to force them all to rebel against the Empire because that was bound to be a fight she wasn’t sure she’d win.

Ahsoka then called Max and talked a bit with Jynna. Things weren’t going so great on Nar Shaddaa actually. The Hutts were reclaiming the moon and the city was slowly trying to seize control of every spaceport available, including the village were was located Taii’s bar and the house. So far the Hutts didn’t try any attack on the village, but Taiilyrra was certain it was only a matter of time. Jynna was fine, Max had arrived on time because Tass’lik and his friends had attacked the village in numbers. Some of their friends didn’t make it, like the Rhodian that Ahsoka had a contract with about an engine. But nothing was too urgent so far or dangerous. Taii had an iron grip on the village and kicked out the Trendoshians, her bar served as a safe house during rough moments but it wasn’t a battlefield. Max had taken care of returning Softness his ship that was left on Nal Hutta and Ahsoka promised she’d be back soon.

She spent two more weeks with Lux, enjoying every moment of it. She finally felt at peace in the estate and was able to meditate. Her connection to the Force was growing stronger as if being completely broken during Order 66 had allowed her to rebuild herself anew. She managed to sense that one of the three sparks of hope was in the general direction of Naboo, another was near Coruscant and the third one was completely unknown to her. She was good with geography and the places of the different systems in the universe, she also had a good memory, but the third spark seemed to be completely out of any system she knew. But the universe was huge and new planets were being discovered every day, so she wasn’t worried about that mystery. After all, Master Kenobi had had trouble with Kamino once. As for the stronger spark she had felt earlier, which felt more like a small flame than a spark, it was not very far from Raxus, a little to the north, farther after Felucia and Ahsoka had only rarely been in that area. It made her shudder when she realized it had always been on Jedi business involving the Sith but most of her missions back in the Clone Wars concerned Dooku…

It felt strange to mention the Clone Wars in the past, as if they were over. They officially were and the Clones were slowly being dispatched, most of them forgotten, others recycled and she wondered what had become of her comrades. Lux had told her Troopers had shot down Jedi, Master Plo and Luminara, even Barriss. Shaak Ti had perished in the Jedi Temple, but most of the Jedi had been killed by Clones, her fellow comrades. She often wondered what had caused them to snap, she was certain there was a reason for their treason against the Republic. She also wondered what had become of Rex, Cody and so many others, because some could be recognized on the screens during official television reports, but she never saw Rex. She hoped he was alright and promised herself to look out for him too.

All that thinking led her to her former Master. Of all the Jedi, he was the only one she couldn’t guess what happened to him. Was he dead? She didn’t believe it, he was stronger than that. Was he hiding? He could be and he even should since the Empire was out there to kill all survivors of the Order. So where was he? Every time she thought about him, she felt at the same time some sort of barrier that kept her judgment cloudy and a cold and penetrating sensation that reminded her too much for her liking of the Dark Side. Either way, he was out of her reach and one of the reasons she dived into the Force so often was to get better at understanding it and find Anakin.

Two more weeks later and Ahsoka had to go back. The Empire was starting to put too much pressure on certain planets and people were getting more miserable by the rotation. The Clone Wars were over, life was supposed to get better, not the other way around. It was nothing major so far, it only concerned a handful of planets, but it felt as if it was the beginning of a long streak of suffering.

After two months spent on Raxus, Lux was called back to the Senate to retake his role of Senator of Onderon. The Senate was still existing, but it had nothing in common with the former Senate during the Republic except its name and the faces that were on it. Lux was forced to go back to Coruscant and left Floriana and George in charge of the estate. He hired a bodyguard at Ahsoka’s advice, a Besalisk named Gigantis that was really tall and strong. His four fists packed quite a punch and he didn’t hesitate to use them if Lux was in any kind of danger. Twice as tall as the Senator and so much bigger, he wore a light armor that made him look even more impressive. He actually became very fond of Lux and never left his side, even becoming friends with him. Ahsoka didn’t meet him but from the pictures Lux send her, mostly to add to her collection on her hologram displayer, she figured the Besalisk looked trustworthy.

A few days before Lux left Raxus, Max came to pick Ahsoka up aboard the _Sneaky_. Jynna had of course decided to tag along because she wanted to meet her sister’s boyfriend and kept calling him Mister Scarlett, much to his annoyance, but Ahsoka could tell he wasn’t actually that frustrated, he even seemed to like the overly excited Twi’lek. Max and Jynna joined the couple for a last meal before each of them had to go their own way. Ahsoka then decided to explain everything to Max and Jynna.

She told them how she had become a Jedi, all the different missions she had been sent on, the battles she had fought, the friends and fellow Troopers she had lost. She told them about the Jedi and their legacy, about Padme and her strength, about everything that actually came to her mind. They listened intently without interrupting her even once (which for Jynna was a huge first), as if they were discovering a new aspect of History that no one had ever told them about before. From the battle of Christophsis when she had become a Padawan learner to the capture of Florrum by Grievous (she didn’t count the Siege of Mandalore as her last battle because she wasn’t a part of it), she told them tales of her adventures with the tone and wisdom of an old Jedi Master passing on a very important lesson to Younglings.

Once the meal was over, Ahsoka kissed Lux and promised him to stay in touch and they parted ways. She climbed aboard the _Sneaky_ with Max and Jynna and they took off for Nar Shaddaa. Ahsoka was pleased to see that Max had repaired the _Sneaky_ during her vacation but she couldn’t resist teasing him about the things she would have done better. Her first objective was to arm herself, which mostly included upgrading the _Sneaky_ once they reached the smuggler’s moon, but also herself. She couldn’t possibly build herself lightsabers, that was too risky, but she could practice with her vibroblades and buying a blaster wouldn’t hurt. She also wanted to buy a droid and she told Max about it because she had a very clear idea as to what kind of droid she wanted and where she could find it. She knew she shouldn’t be stubborn because there was a small chance she’d find a good R2 unit nowadays but she had faith in her plan and would discuss it with Max on Nar Shaddaa around a drink at Taii’s bar. She was also planning on going to Alderaan but doing so without upgrading her ship was suicide. She needed powerful guns, a better hyperdrive and a way to scramble the _Sneaky_ ’s signature. But she had something to look forward to and that was great.


	28. Nar Shaddaa - Part 4 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / ten months after leaving the Jedi Order / seven months on Nar Shaddaa / two months after Order 66_

“Home sweet home!” yelled Jynna when the _Sneaky_ landed at its designated place in the spaceport in front of Taii’s bar.

Ahsoka couldn’t help but sign in satisfaction when she left her ship and set foot on the dusty ground of Nar Shaddaa for the first time since Order 66. She didn’t want to leave Lux, but she missed her home and yes, she considered now Nar Shadda her home just like she had considered the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be her home before. Things didn’t seem to have changed much on the Smuggler’s moon: scum were still walking the streets, each building was at its usual place although everything seemed quieter.

Jynna was already way ahead of them and pushed the doors of Taiilyrra’s bar open. Noise was coming from it and Ahsoka smiled when she recognized the usual music played by the same band over and over again. She looked at Max and shrugged before following Jynna inside, her travelling bag strewn over her shoulder. She should probably get home to change and leave her bag, but she shrugged at the idea. Nothing would happen just because she decided to say hello to some friends on her way home.

At the second Ahsoka pushed the double swinging doors of the entrance open, Taii rose from behind the counter at the other end of the room and yelled:

“Our Scarlett’s back! First round on the house for everybody!”

People cheered and Ahsoka made her way to the counter. On the way she was patted on the shoulder a dozen times and smiled at the people who were all happy to see her as if she was an old friend that disappeared for years and now was back. It was a strange feeling, considering that she first set foot on Nar Shaddaa only seven months ago, but it felt right with everyone around her.

Once she managed to walk through the crowd of people, she wasn’t quite done yet because Softness pulled her into a bear hug and almost crushed her ribs.

“Yeah, I’m happy to see you too, big guy. Sorry for the late return of your ship.”

Softness shrugged at this and his deep and thunderous Wookie voice filled the room, rendering it silent for a moment until everyone cheered, even though not many peopleunderstood the big guy. Ahsoka was finally allowed to sit down after throwing her bag at her feet and Taii handed her a glass of Meiloorun liquor that the Togruta half emptied with one swing. She was getting pretty good at this and when Max and Softness saw that, they each rose their tankards full of beer for the Wookie and rum for the Naboo and slammed them into the other’s glass, spilling some on the floor but Taii didn’t seem to mind because she simply laughed.

“Scarlett has a boyfriend!” Jynna suddenly blurted, a glass of peach juice in her hand.

Ahsoka couldn’t help it and actually spilled what she had in her mouth. She could see that all the people around Jynna had heard her. Max came to the rescue, well sort of, and put his arm on Ahsoka’s shoulder.

“Yep and I met him in person! He’s a great guy!”

“Who is he?” asked a Nautolan that had come once or twice to the garage for some repairs on his heavy lifting droid.

“Hey! A little privacy please!” Ahsoka screamed as she threw Max a deadly stare and the human acted as if she just shot him and fell to the ground, pretending to be dead. Fortunately, before falling, he had the great idea to hand his tankard half full of rum to his neighbor.

“Bonteri, hum?” Taii said.

The Chagrian was wiping a glass clean with her usual cloth and wasn’t even looking at Ahsoka whose lekku stripes became as dark as Jynna’s freckles. Once again, Ahsoka was surprised at how much the Chagrian seemed to know. She didn’t consider her dangerous just unpredictable since she wasn’t expecting her to know about Lux.

“I have my sources,” replied the Chagrian to Ahsoka’s unspoken question.

Ahsoka didn’t push it and hoped the Chagrian wouldn’t talk about it but Taiilyrra really seemed to be able to keep secrets to herself. Since Ahsoka arrived, the Chagrian hadn’t spilled one single secret to anyone and the Togruta hoped it would stay that way. She even wondered for a moment if her mind was strong enough to resist Force interrogation but she had no intention of trying that theory.

Suddenly, she felt a light buzzing in her head, almost like the kind of vibrations she received in her montrals when there’s movement around her but it was slightly different. She focused on it and felt herself connect with the Force and a voice erupted in her mind, easily crashing through all her defenses and silencing every other noise around her. “ _You’re too loud, child. You have to hide, not shout._ ” And with that the voice was gone and all the noise in the room came crashing back like a tidal wave.

Ahsoka left her glass on the counter and stood from her chair, scanning the crowd. Taii and Jynna looked at her carefully, wondering if everything was ok and why she was suddenly acting like that. Jynna had said nothing about her affiliation with the Jedi but she knew what they were capable of. She had never met one in person, even when they weren’t considered extinct since none ever came to Nar Shaddaa, but her parents had told her stories, stories that she believed in and that she found incredible, so incredible even that she couldn’t see how they would be untrue. And right now, she had the feeling some Force business or whatever Jedi stuff, was happening.

Max got up at that moment, laughing hard and he kept on clowning around, which attracted more attention to him that to Ahsoka. The Togruta left the counter and made her way towards the center of the room where some card games were being played. On another table three dice were being rolled, five people were standing around the table, watching the cubes intently even though it happened in a fraction of second. Ahsoka could feel it again, someone else tapping into the Force, using an amount of energy so small she almost didn’t recognize it as a Jedi trick, telekinesis.

She focused on the dice players and realized the dice had been moved by a Force user, which didn’t necessarily involve a Jedi or Sith. She tried to see who was doing that because she was pretty certain it was tied to the voice she had heard back at the counter and that had seemed at the same time been giving her orders and advice. The player who just rolled the dice wasn’t the one she was looking for because he wasn’t happy with how things turned out. Someone was using the Force against his rolling. Ahsoka looked at the other players and her eyes met the gaze of an old man.

Well, she couldn’t exactly tell his age because he wasn’t human. He was a Bothan. A large hood was hiding half of his head and he had a white beard. He seemed at the same time wise and powerful just like Master Yoda or Master Sinube. Actually he reminded Ahsoka a lot of Master Sinube. When he saw she was looking at him, he smiled and mouthed “ _you found me_ ,” before taking the dice in his hand and throwing them on the table with the mastery of an expert. They rolled in his favor, so much even that he collected all the credits lying on the table and said he’d take a break. He shuffled the money into the pocket of his old mantel and went to the counter to order a drink. Ahsoka had felt him use the Force and she was certain the voice belonged to him. She followed him and grabbed again her glass of liquor.

He took his tankard of ale and sat down at a table in the far corner where there were no people and Ahsoka sat in front of him, putting her glass down.

“So you finally found me, girl,” he let out and it was the same voice as in her head earlier.

“Who are you?”

“I was the same as you before, a member of the great Order of Jedi Knights,” he said those last four words like a whisper and Ahsoka had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. “But it’s gone. For now. We have to hide and you’re doing a poor job at it.”

Ahsoka almost laughed at that and pulled back, her back resting against her chair.

“I’ve been hiding ever since I left the Order. I wasn’t part of it anymore when the massacre happened.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Every Force user who’s not Sith will be destroyed so you better start covering you steps.”

“What are you talking about?” Ahsoka didn’t understand and she frowned the white line that played the same role as human eyebrows. “I’ve been away for almost a year and no one had ever come for…”

“It’s different now,” he interrupted her. “You must have felt it, this… disturbance in the Force. The Dark Side has a new powerful member. I’ve never felt so much power in just one man, this… Darth Vader…”

Ahsoka shivered at the name and couldn’t help but feel a certain connection to that name, as if she knew that person when she was behind them but she was mistaken when they were face to face.

“And he will find you if you don’t quiet your mind,” finished the Bothan.

Now she understood what he meant. Ever since she left the Order, she didn’t bother shutting her thoughts and especially preventing others from reading her Force signature. Actually, she had no idea how she could hide her come and goes into the Force, how she could hide her aura and her Force signature. She realized that guy knew how to do that because Ahsoka couldn’t tell he was a Jedi, she wasn’t feeling his Force signature anymore whereas she could moments before and he was simply sitting a few feet in front of her.

“I don’t know how…”

“I’ll teach you,” he whispered softly and brought his hood down, revealing the rest of his head of Bothan. “I’m Kai Hudorra but call me Old Hoody, Padawan Tano.”

Ahsoka hadn’t heard that name in a long time and it made her smile. She did the traditional Jedi salute to the old Master. “Here, I’m known as Fulcrum or Scarlett.”

“So I’ve heard.” He stood up and passed his arm around her shoulder, his smile wide at having found another survivor. “People are talking a lot around here about their favorite repairer…”

As they were walking slowly towards the counter on which Max was miserably losing against Softness at arm wrestling, a well known Trendoshian entered the bar. Ahsoka was about to jump on Tass’lik, ignoring the ten men he had brought with him this time. Max had told her on their way back that he had once again tried to attack Jynna and that the Naboo had reached her in time, meaning that Ahsoka had saw the future and had got it right this time.

Taiilyrra was quicker and kept her word. She had banished Tass’lik from her bar and was about to punish him for taking her threat lightly. She jumped from behind the counter, above Max and Softness who didn’t have time to budge. Her left hand held onto the Wookie’s head as her right one held her vibro spear and she flew into the air. In no time, she had run to the Trendoshian with everyone cutting her a clear path through the crowd, people being on her side. Her knee found his jaw and he landed on his back near the entrance, the Chagrian kneeling on top of him, the electric point of her spear sparkling electricity next to his thick lizard neck.

“I will give you ten seconds to explain why you showed you dirty face here again,” threateningly said Taii, ignoring the blasters the other Trendoshians pointed at her.

All the people in the room brought out their own blasters and blades and were ready to back up the Chagrian if she needed it. Instead she switched her spear ends and pressed the blade to Tass’lik’s neck.

“I come on the behalf of Grakkus the Hutt, ruler of Hutta Town next door. He will pay this village a visit and when he does, he wants everyone who holds in their possession Jedi artifacts, to give them to him. All those who’d try to hide those artifacts will be executed on the spot,” said Tass’lik with difficulty because of the blade pressed against his vocal chords.

Taii looked him in the eye.

“Now, you get up and get out!”

She insisted on every single word and jumped off the Trendoshian’s chest. She stood in front of him, her gaze imposing, her spear still in hand, ready to strike. But she didn’t need to because Tass’lik got up and walked out of the bar with his men without saying another word or trying anything stupid.


	29. Nar Shaddaa - Part 5 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and a month after leaving the Jedi Order / ten months on Nar Shaddaa / five months after Order 66_

Things were relatively slow after that incident in Taii’s bar. Ahsoka was taking contracts of repairing again, but there were less now that some village inhabitants were no more. Three months went by without a single problem and Ahsoka was planning her trip to Tatooine step by step. She had decided that it was the best place to find a droid since buying one legally and within Empire’s reach wasn’t a good idea. She was also pretty sure they wouldn’t have what she was looking for. And the Jawas were no friends of the Storm Troopers, they were actually friends with no other than themselves. That was fine with Ahsoka as long as Max came with her to negotiate with the smelly creatures. After all, he had lived there and during a conversation he had revealed to her he often had to deal with two different clans of Jawas, because yes, those little thieves were organized.

And the will to get herself a co-pilot droid was what got her into trouble. Kind of.

She was supposed to go with Max to Tatooine and the fact that they hadn’t decided when they would go bothered her. So after finishing her tasks for the day and leaving the house to Jynna, who was uploading the pictures she had taken on Raxus and adding them to her collection. The Togruta crossed the village in the end of the afternoon and made her way to Taii’s bar where she didn’t find the Chagrian. It wasn’t such a weird thing because Taiilyrra was often travelling to deliver the intel she gathered, mostly thanks to Jynna, and so it had happened several times that she was nowhere to be found on Nar Shaddaa.

But Softness was there, repairing the bar’s cash machine, wires and cables everywhere.

“Hi, big guy. Is Max here?”

She knew Max rented a room at Taii’s. Ahsoka had offered him to stay at her place several times, assuring him that he could crash on her couch if need be but he politely declined. He often came over for dinner or Ahsoka and Jynna ate at Taii’s, they were all like a big family, really, but Max never slept in the house. Ahsoka had no idea what kind of deal he had with Taii but he’d been sleeping in one of the many rooms above the bar for as long as Ahsoka could remember.

She also wasn’t used to knocking on his door, that was a stupid thing they always did. He didn’t knock when he came over to the house either and Ahsoka had programmed the security systems to let him in if he said a specific password that only worked on him (which was Jawa-Tooka). So Ahsoka pushed the door open with strength, even ready to make him jump just so she could see the surprise on his face, followed quickly by frustration or anger.

“Come on, Jawa-Tooka! We need to settle a date for the…”

The rest of her sentence died in her throat when she found Max mounting Taiilyrra. The only things that prevented Ahsoka from seeing their naked bodies were the sheets of his bed that covered most of their flushed skin, allowing only their heads to be out in the open. Taii and Max both looked at Ahsoka in embarrassment as she froze in the doorframe, one hand still on the doorknob. Ahsoka’s lekku stripes became as dark as Taiilyrra’s black horns pointing out from her lekku.

“I didn’t see anything!” Ahsoka yelled while quickly turning away and slamming the door shut behind her.

She leaned against the wall in the corridor, trying to suppress the redness of her cheeks and to even her breathing, forcing herself to forget the images stuck in her head. She would definitely never be able to look at those two the same way…

The corridor’s entire left wall was aligned with dozens of transversal windows, most of them being shut to keep the heat from entering. Nar Shaddaa wasn’t like Tatooine, but the temperatures were usually way higher than on Coruscant or Raxus. She heard noise outside and leaned over, slowly opening one of the windows and peeking outside. She saw Tass’lik and his buddies, armed with guns and followed by what looked like a Hutt. But unlike Jabba or Stinky, that Hutt was supported by a dozen metal legs, looking more like a caterpillar than a slug.

“Grakkus…” Ahsoka spat. She didn’t like the looks of it and she hated herself for what she was about to do but she had no choice. Tass’lik had warned them that the ruler of Hutta Town would pay them a visit and after three months, it was about time.

She came back to Max’s door and knocked loudly, almost wildly on the door before yelling.

“Max! Taii! Get out of there! Grakkus the Hutt is coming inside the bar!”

Ahsoka could find her way out of the bar through one of the windows and then jump from the round roof to the next building but Trendoshians were watching everywhere. So she decided to go through the stairs, as a normal person would and joined Softness in the main room. The Wookie was yelling at one of the Trendoshians but he didn’t seem harmed.

“What’s going on here?” Ahsoka asked as she jumped the last steps of the staircase.

She realized Tass’lik had stayed outside, probably trying to avoid running into Taiilyrra again after their last encounter when she had almost fried his hide. The Hutt turned to her, Softness warned her not to push the guy and the Trendoshians made those weird sounds with their tongues before grabbing more tightly their guns, not pleased to see her. Ahsoka had done nothing wrong so far but all the lizards knew what she was capable of since that first time she had kicked Tass’lik’s butt on her very first night on Nar Shaddaa.

“And who are you?” Grakkus said, turning to her, his metal legs making the same noise on the floor as spider droids. His voice had the same intonations as Zero, which made Ahsoka’s skin crawl but he also had the deep tone and rumble as Jabba. Since the members of the Hutt clan weren’t that numerous, he was probably a cousin of both Zero and Jabba.

“Scarlett the repairer. Also known as Fulcrum,” said Ahsoka, crossing her arms on her chest, not impressed.

“Search her,” Grakkus replied and waved his hand at her as if she was nothing more than a bug.

He had a thin chain around his neck and two rusty lightsabers as pendants which made Ahsoka want to punch him in his grease. She remembered Tass’lik’s words: the giant larva was after Jedi artifacts. Two Trendoshians grabbed her, each taking one arm while a third searched her and although she did wriggle a bit at first, she stopped after a few seconds: she had nothing to hide. The Trendoshians eventually let her go and Ahsoka was thankful Softness didn’t interfere although he was about to, Ahsoka could see it in his eyes and read it in his nervous movements.

“So?” asked the Hutt.

“She just had two vibro blades. No Jedi artifacts,” said a Trendoshian with orange skin as he handed Ahsoka her blades back and she slid them in her boots with an angry pout.

The Hutt nodded, then looked at the Togruta.

“As long as you don’t hide those forbidden items from me, you can live in this village. I won’t do you any harm as long as you obey that one rule about all Jedi artifacts. You’re free to go.”

He then motioned for her to go and Ahsoka left. But at the moment she was swinging the entrance doors open, she heard the Hutt order his troupes to take a look around and find if nobody was hiding in the bar. Ahsoka heard footsteps getting upstairs and she hoped she was the only one to catch Max and Taii in a compromising position.

As she walked around the bar to reach the street leading to her house, she was worried about Jynna and feared the Hutt would search every building and tear it apart, she met Tass’lik. He was the biggest Trendoshian of them all and was simply standing near the back entrance, next to Softness’s ship, holding his gun to his chest like a soldier. Ahsoka resisted the urge to punch him for attacking Jynna after Order 66 so she quickly made her way through the village.

Jynna was sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the hall inside the house.

“They already came here,” she let out, slightly trembling.

She was hugging her knees but after a few seconds lifted her head, looking Ahsoka straight in the eye. Kai, or Old Hoody as he wanted to be called, was sitting next to the blue Twi’lek, his cane in his hands, looking calm and collected.

“I feared they might find something of yours.”

That comment surprised Ahsoka when it came out of Jynna’s mouth.

“I thought they’d find something from, you know, your past. But they didn’t. They searched us, but they found nothing.”

Old Hoody then spoke in Ahsoka’s mind. He had promised he’d teach her how to do that, just like how to quiet her mind and hide her Force signature but she still hated the fact that he was able to do that and not her. She was learning, but she had still a long way to go. _She knows about me_ , Old Hoody said in her mind. _You two are the only ones on Nar Shaddaa_.

“They didn’t find anything because I didn’t bring my lightsabers with me. Actually, they didn’t leave Coruscant. I lost my saber during my flight a few days before I left the Order and my Master took my shoto when they caught me,” Ahsoka said.

Jynna nodded, she had heard the story about Ahsoka’s trial and found it unfair.

“And I didn’t try to build new ones.” Then, Ahsoka motioned for Kai’s cane. “How about you? I’ve know Masters who hid their sabers in their canes. Didn’t they find it?”

Kai stuck his cane to the ground, the sound of wood echoing in the room.

“I hid my saber. Didn’t bring it here. It’s safe where it is but it’s not on this moon.”

“So, what do we do now?” Jynna asked. She seemed to be much better now that Ahsoka was there although Kai was perfectly capable of defending her.

“We keep on living,” said Kai. “As long as they don’t push it, everything’s going to be fine.”


	30. Tatooine (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and a month after leaving the Jedi Order / ten months on Nar Shaddaa / five months after Order 66_

“I told you we should have been more careful!” Max yelled.

He dragged his feet on the sand, a scarf covering his face as he made his way through the desert. He was tired and hungry and above all thirsty. But he was also angry. He threw a quick glance behind his shoulder only to see Scarlett a good dozen feet away, her back bent so much her arms were almost touching the sand.

“I’m sorry, since when slavery is a good thing?” She replied.

Sweat was pouring down her face and the stench of it had long stained the cloth she wrapped around her head and montrals. She usually liked the sun but that second trip to Tatooine proved her she hated desert planets. Max had told her how Hondo had helped them back on Sriluur and Ahsoka hoped she could someday thank the pirate, but she was glad she wasn’t aware of the situation when they had met the Weequay. Her first trip to Tatooine had been a short one and the only things she had seen were the desert and Jabba’s palace where they had delivered Stinky. She stopped dead in her tracks when the memories came rushing back to her.

“Yeah, well I didn’t say slavery’s alright! You know I’m against it! But you can’t just meddle into people’s life just because you have other values!” Max yelled against the small wind that was picking up.

When he didn’t get an answer, he looked back, his dreadlocks being thrown to the side and the wind almost making him lose his balance. He saw Ahsoka standing next to a dune, standing straight as if suddenly electrocuted. Her eyes were staring into nothingness and she seemed to be deep in thought. So deep that when she didn’t answer for the second time, Max came down the dune he was climbing and shook her shoulder.

“I know we should have done something for that kid, but telling his master that slavery’s wrong and trying to free the boy with your bare hands probably made it worse.”

She remained still and didn’t say a word, not even acknowledging his presence or his words.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Max eventually asked.

He knew now that Scarlett had been a Jedi. That explained a lot of her moments of absence or how she could predict certain events. She also seemed to have higher senses although that might just be because of her race. He figured that this was a “ _Jedi sniffing moment_ ” as Jynna called them. Thinking about the Twi’lek made him think about Nar Shaddaa and also Taiilyrra.

His relationship with the Chagrian had started long ago actually, long before he knew Scarlett or even Jynna. He had first become very close friends with Taii, leading to the occasional teasing and drinks on the house at her bar. She had been very supportive when Max’s father had died. One day, they just kissed during a party, nothing really important, just a peck on the lips. But it only left him with a sweet taste and wanting more. They had had night-stands together before, from time to time, always random and spread out through the years. When Scarlett came, things didn’t really change because Taii and Max weren’t technically together. They were just friends with benefits. When the Togruta had caught them, Taii had laughed but Max had blushed so much he spent the rest of the day hiding from everyone in his room.

The Hutt’s inspection didn’t bring any trouble to the village but everyone stayed on their toes, baring teeth at the simple mention of the fat larva and his gang of lizards. Ahsoka had been a bit shaken, more about the consequences of such new power than an actual disrespect to her person when she had been checked by the Trendoshians. She also hadn’t been able to look at Max during the first three days following the incident. But once the awkwardness had passed, they had settled onto a date to go to Tatooine.

After what seemed like hours, Ahsoka finally looked at Max before taking a good sweep of the desert all around them.

“That’s where my first assignment as a Padawan ended. My master was also born here.”

Remembering Christophsis, then Teth and finally Tatooine was a hard blow. When she thought she had made peace with her past and especially the way she had left Anakin, she realized she was still holding on. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she still blamed herself for leaving him and what happened. She still hadn’t figured out the whole mystery surrounding her Master’s weird presence in the Force, but she couldn’t help but feel like she had played a part in it, like it was somehow her fault. And that simple thought drained out all her energy, leaving her gasping for air.

She tried to hide it as best as she could and simply brushed away Max’s concerned look, starting to walk again up the sand dune Max was climbing a moment before. The Naboo didn’t push it and followed suit and before long, completely drenched in sweat, they made it to the summit of the dune, being finally able to see the thing they were looking for which was basically a huge moving metal mountain. Or that’s what it looked like in the distance anyway.

Max led her to the Jawas and asked her to let him do all the talking to which Ahsoka gently obliged. After all, she hadn’t asked Max to come here with her just to enjoy the company of a friend; she needed him on this one. The Jawa Max talked to looked like any other Jawa: brown coat that hided only kriff knew what, two golden eyes shining like small suns and a dark face plunged into the darkness of a heavy hood. The smell was so bad it took Ahsoka more than ten minutes to get used to it and she had trouble keeping her hand from covering her nose.

They were finally allowed inside once Max showed the glint of a golden credit. The inside smelled even worse. It was a strange combination of heat, the Jawas’ natural stench and rust. It was a huge mess of droid parts and wires but it could also be a mechanic’s paradise and Ahsoka tried to look at it this way. The Jawa led them through the different piles of junk, they passed some robots that were being treated until they finally reached the place where all the droid standing in once piece were held.

Ahsoka went automatically into repairer mode and she only needed a quick glance at the droid to tell if it would be good or not and more importantly, if it was the kind she needed. Some of them were barely holding their parts together and the Togruta wished she could repair them but she kept looking at the droids instead, walking in front of them from the left to the right. She stopped only twice and Max was hoping it would be the droid she’d chose but every time she knelt in front of it, she simply looked at it up close for three seconds before resuming her observation, unsatisfied.

That is until she found what she was looking for. She was almost at the end of the line, getting dangerously close to the wall where the last droids were when she spotted it among the others. An R2 unit just like she wanted. It had a dull color she couldn’t quite make and was covered in dust. It was turned on because the lights followed her when she knelt in front of it, but other than that, she couldn’t exactly tell if the droid was still functioning normally. So she pushed a few buttons, pulled a lever on the side of the droid, swept some of the dust away and looked at its circuits as much as she could without taking it apart. Some of the parts were rusty, even inside which made her frown but those were the pretty basic parts she could replace quite easily. A couple of things needed adjusting but everything seemed to be in order. Except for the memory banks that didn’t seem to be functioning at all, just as if they were fried from the inside out. Ahsoka figured she could always open it and check it out, she knew the layout of the circuits well enough to be able to put all the pieces back together without making a mistake. Although she had never practiced on an R2 unit before, even less R2D2, Anakin had made sure she knew her droids.

“This one,” she said to Max, pointing to the R2 unit that beeped in surprise, not believe its luck.

“You sure? There seems to be other droids more decent than that…”

“There’s some work to do, but other than that it’s the right one. I want this one.”

Max nodded, she paid and they left with the droid. Crossing the desert back to Mos Eisley happened to be a challenge and they got more sand in the folds of their clothes than reasonable, but it was nothing compared to all the grains that entered the droid’s circuits. It had been to the point when it had shut off and they had to carry it the rest of the way, which wasn’t too far fortunately. Once inside the _Sneaky_ , Max set course for Nar Shaddaa and joined Ahsoka in the repair room once they made the jump to hyperspace. Ahsoka called this room the repair room because that’s where she had all her tools and toys even though most stayed at the house in the village.

She was kneeling in front of the droid, taking out most of the sand. She took a wet cloth and pressed it against the top, cleaning the droid up a bit although she’d have to do it again once the inside was right. The dull color was replaced by a light pink and the droid’s name appeared.

“R2KT,” Ahsoka read.

The droid was still shut down but she was fairly certain that it would have beeped joyfully if it was on. The Togruta turned briefly to Max when he entered, leaning against the doorframe.

“I’m going to take it to the house, I can do very little here with what I got. This droid requires intense cleaning and repairing. I might not have all the parts actually so I think I’ll be negotiating with Softness very soon.” She gave the droid another sweep with the cloth. “But it should be fine. Thanks for helping me out today.”

“Pleasure,” Max answered. “But you owe me one,” he said as he walked out of the room and back into the cockpit. “And that calls for lunch. Your treat.”

Ahsoka just rolled her eyes and kept working on the droid. Of course that she had already planned on paying for lunch.


	31. Nar Shaddaa - Part 6 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and 3 months after leaving the Jedi Order / a year on Nar Shaddaa / seven months after Order 66 (Year +9)_

Since Grakkus became the crime lord of Hutta Town next door, no one in the village was bothered by him as long as they didn’t deal in Jedi artifacts without him or hid some from him. The guy seemed obsessed with the stuff, like a mad collectioneer. So far, everything was good. Or at least, that’s what Ahsoka kept telling herself.

Because since she came back from Tatooine with Max and her new R2 unit, a lot of things changed. But those were hidden things, either things she was one of the only people to know or things that everybody knew but no one did a thing about. Neither did Ahsoka. She wanted to but she couldn’t just take on the Empire all by herself. She was aware of what Storm troopers were doing in other parts of the galaxy, she had heard stories or rather rumors. Her travels remained in the Hutt space, that was free of Storm troopers as long as the Hutts collaborated with the Empire, which so far they did, especially Jabba and Grakkus.

The other thing was about the Force. The more she trained with Master Hudorra, the more she felt connected to the Force and shielded by it but she also felt something else. Those sparks she felt right after Order 66, she had felt them again. And not just four of them this time, but more. The first three were still small and unreachable. On Tatooine, she had briefly felt one of them, but it had been less than a second and so faint, she wondered if she hadn’t been dreaming. But the fourth spark was growing stronger. Actually it had grown really strong during the last two months, gaining incredible strength in days until it stayed at a certain level. Ahsoka was fairly certain it was coming from the northern side of the Outter Rim, in the sector where was Felucia.

Suddenly, a pebble hit her in the forehead. Soon after, laughter erupted and Ahsoka opened her eyes.

“That’s not funny, Jynna!” she yelled at the blue Twi’lek that leaned on a pink droid.

Since Ahsoka had brought R2KT back and cleaned it, Jynna and the droid became the best of friend. Getting all the parts and rerouting everything hadn’t been easy, Ahsoka could even say it was one of the most difficult things she’s ever done, but it was worth it and after hours without sleep in the workshop, Daisy was finally up again and functioning. Yes, Daisy. That’s how Jynna called the droid although its name was R2KT. Jynna also considered it to be female because it was painted pink.

“Come on, it kinda is!” Jynna replied, stopping her laugh to look at Scarlett. “You’ve been at this for hours and now you’ve finally left an opening! We weren’t going to let that chance fly away, weren’t we Daisy?” she leaned as she pated the droid which beeped enthusiastically.

R2KT was at the same time always a serious droid but was also very fond of Jynna, Max and Ahsoka. The droid always seemed to take the smallest task very seriously as if it was a vital mission. In many ways, Daisy reminded Ahsoka of R2D2. It didn’t like to make fun of others unless someone managed to convince it it was very important. And Jynna had done just that.

In the last two months, Ahsoka had trained with Kai on simply one thing: hiding her Force signature without completely tearing away from the Force. Old Hoody was able to do it and he insisted he taught Ahsoka which was fine by her, she even wanted to learn how to do that. She had mastered the easy steps, was able now to hide her signature during the day but had still trouble hiding it completely during night. Kai said it took him years to get to that level but Ahsoka didn’t have years. For now, Nar Shaddaa was out of reach and relatively safe from the Empire, but who knew when even that sense of safety would end.

Today, they practiced another step, which was basically Ahsoka trying to hide her signature during a fight. She couldn’t use the Force since that would be the same as saying “ _Hi, I’m Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, bring me in!_ ”. Fighting while trying to keep a hold of her mental restraints was hard. Way harder than she thought it would be. She had fought for a few hours, without any success at hiding her signature. Since she had failed that step, Old Hoody had wanted to try something easier and had asked Jynna to throw small rocks so that Ahsoka could deflect them while still trying to hide her Force signature.

They were practicing in an empty field next to the spaceport, away from all the buildings and people. It was remote enough so that they wouldn’t be disturbed but close enough so that they would be on site if anything happened. Daisy had taken this task very seriously and helped Jynna throw the pebbles, believing it would help Ahsoka. It did, until she lost control and got hit in the forehead.

“I know it’s not easy, but when you fight, you usually open your mind to the Force just as much as when you meditate. Except when you meditate, you’re calm and you can easily control the flow of your thoughts and your travels in the Force. But when you fight, it’s all about timing. You tap into the Force quickly, at your level without even thinking, to use it to your advantage during the fight. Now that you’ve managed to stay silent and hidden during meditation when you don’t move or think, you need to master it during a fight when nothing is still or silent around you,” Old Hoody said.

The Bothan was sitting on a crate, his legs folded under his body in the traditional meditation position Ahsoka often used.

“Is this a common thing about your people to talk in riddles with philosophical kind of intonations?” Jynna asked innocently, picking up a few pebbles before weighting them in her free hand and handing them to R2KT.

The Twi’lek referred to the Jedi as “your people” ever since she got searched by Grakkus’s men. When Ahsoka had mentioned that, the girl simply said that people might be listening to them. She knew it was a not so uncommon technique to get information, she had herself used it countless of times when she was getting intel for Taii. She had actually got back to it a bit in the last week, slowly picking her good old habits. First, because a lot less decent people were coming to Nar Shaddaa now and so they didn’t need a translator because the scum either knew the language, or found another way of understanding each other or had a stolen protocol droid. Second, Ahsoka and Max were going out more and more to close systems, one selling exotic merchandise that the other had helped get inside the Hutt area of influence from Raxus to Geonosis. Either way, they were back into business and started a partnership, at times using the _Stella_ , the _Sneaky_ or both. Of course, Ahsoka still continued repairing droids and ships for the folks on Nar Shaddaa but she also used more and more her piloting skills.

Ahsoka didn’t answer and brought back her vibroblade. Since she didn’t have her lightsabers, she had to practice with her nowadays weapons. She had gotten used to them during the last year, but she had to admit she missed her previous blades and the way they were perfectly balanced for her.

They practiced a bit more until Ahsoka deflected nine pebbles out of ten. The training was followed by some meditation during which Jynna got home and started cooking. They had been doing that often in the last couple of weeks. Once a week usually, Ahsoka and Jynna invited people for dinner, those people being Kai, Max, Softness and Taii. They all ate dinner at Scarlett’s house, laughed and joked around, danced sometimes even. Since the bar wasn’t very far away, Softness and Taii went home every dinner night. Max stayed when he wasn’t able to align two steps and slept on the couch in the living room, snoring loudly enough to force Jynna to wear ear buds.

Kai never stayed. He had found an old shack after one of the scum didn’t come back one day. So Master Hudorra had taken it and simply arranged it enough so it would be comfortable to move in. Max and Softness had helped him settle in, moving the heavy stuff, Taii had provided him with a stock of food and especially drinks and Ahsoka had taken care of the electricity, both for lights and security, although the Bothan assured he was fine and that he could take care of himself. The Togruta believed him. Kai was a huge gambler and when he plucked every player in the village dry, he paid a round for everyone and redistributed the money. He now played for the thrill of it and gambled useful stuff like fresh food or everyday life products.

Once the meditation was over, he and Ahsoka headed for the house.

“You seemed unfocused today, Scarlett,” Kai said as they were circling around the spaceport to enter the village.

“Yes. I’ve been having these… impressions lately,” Ahsoka answered.

“Visions?”

“No, not like visions. More like… feelings.”

Ahsoka stopped walking and checked around if no one was within earshot before turning to the old Bothan.

“I can feel some presences in the Force. At first there were only three then four, it started after the attack on the Temple. But lately one of those… sparks has been growing strong. And others have appeared, more experienced, older and more difficult to perceive. I’d say I sensed Master Kenobi at a time but it was so swift, I’m not sure… I’ve never felt anything like this before…”

Kai stroked his beard and motioned to Scarlett to keep walking. They walked between the spaceport and Taii’s Saloon, people looking at them but in their usual way, greeting Scarlett along the way and not suspecting anything.

“Our mutual friend is indeed alive and hiding, but I’m sure the time will come for you to meet him again. I’m also fairly sure he knows you’re alive. And those elusive sparks you’re talking about might be surviving people of ours. But come now: our friends will soon be arriving.”

With that said, he entered the house that Jynna left open and Ahsoka followed, ready to help with the préparations.


	32. Toydaria (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and 4 months after leaving the Jedi Order / a year and a month on Nar Shaddaa / 8 months after Order 66 (Year +10)_

“So, what do we call ourselves, hum?” Max asked.

The smuggler leaned back in his co-pilot seat aboard the _Sneaky_ , hands clasped behind his head. A sly smile had appeared on his lips and he patiently waited for Scarlett to answer. The Togruta was busy with Daisy, as Jynna still called R2-KT and it had rubbed on the former Jedi, making sure the droid knew what the plan was. What they were about to do wasn’t very complicated and had little chance of going south, but still, things could happen even with the most prepared plans. Kneeling next to the pink astromech, Ahsoka repeated the orders once again, then checked if all the data was encrypted like it should be.

She had started that thing he week before just to see if it worked. She knew her droids and she had been forced to reprogram R2-KT for it to work again. While doing so, Ahsoka had come up with a virtual document of certain parts, more like a descriptive file that Daisy could access in her data banks, which were almost entirely empty so far. Ahsoka had managed to save one little piece of the hard drive before reprogramming and wiping the droid’s banks clean but although she had saved that intel, she had no way of accessing it so far. Since Daisy’s banks were kind of empty, Ahsoka had filled them with descriptive files, to help them during their operations.

Ahsoka wasn’t a fan of that word, but Max insisted they call what they were doing operations. It reminded the Togruta of the Clone Wars and the military lingo they had to use all the time, not that she minded, but it brought back memories she wasn’t quite ready to deal with. She had encrypted the files she put into Daisy just to see if she was able to do so. Not that anything remotely important was on those files apart from specifics about parts, but it could be a useful skill to have if she needed it someday. And with the constant rise of the Empire, she feared she might need that skill soon. She had told Max about the encryption and her fear of having to use that skill eventually, but she didn’t mention the military stuff. She had a good memory; she remembered a lot of all the battles she had been a part of and also tactical intelligence she hoped she would never have to use. She had been a Commander, that wasn’t as advanced as General but it was way more than just soldier.

“Alright, I think we’re good to go,” Ahsoka said as she stood up and turned to Max who didn’t bother move. “Max, move your butt, it’s time.”

“Not until we find a name.”

Ahsoka signed and Max almost jumped from his seat.

“Oh, come on! We’re a kriffing team now! In the past month we have been doing stuff! Stuff that is illegal, stuff that we shouldn’t be doing in a part of the galaxy the Empire hasn’t put his hands on yet! Who knows how long it’ll stay that way? We’ve got to take advantage of our situation and find ourselves a name. It’s almost as if we are revolutionaries.”

He was smiling broadly, eyes shining with dreams and prospects of being a famous smuggler and rubbing his profit in the face of the Emperor himself. Ahsoka poked him in the chest.

“Don’t you talk about revolutions, you have no idea what it means!”

She had experienced revolutions and conflicts all the time during the war. The one she remembered the most clearly had taken place on Onderon almost two years ago. She knew how powerful such a movement was and what it would do. She also knew it was a word that would get anyone killed as long as Palpatine was sitting on the throne, in a matter of speaking.

“It’s not like somebody’s listening,” Max argued.

“I know my ship’s clean, but I know you too by now: you could blurt something stupid like that anywhere, even in front of Stormtroopers. I’m not taking any chances of being discovered. I know what happens to those who are caught.”

She shivered as she said that. Nothing remotely interesting had happened on Nar Shaddaa during the last month but the rest of the galaxy had been pretty busy. Two former Jedi had been discovered, names that Ahsoka had never heard before but when she saw the faces on the news back at home with Jynna, she just knew they truly were Jedi. She had seen one of them in the Temple several times but it was just a face in the crowd. The other rang no bell whatsoever and looked as old as Master Yoda or Sinube, if not more. Both had been executed publicly on Coruscant but Ahsoka had recognized torture marks on their bodies. She had also seen the weariness in their eyes before the fatal blow. Those two people have gone through hell before being beheaded.

“Hey, no one’s going to sell you out, okay?” Max said as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Not as long as I’m here.”

She nodded and started walking out of the cockpit. “Come on,” she said. “The seller’s in town. Let’s hope the intel Jynna gathered is correct, I hate negotiating with crooks.”

Toydaria was a planet of swamps and forests. Ahsoka had read at the Temple about the diplomatic mission of Bail Organa and Master Yoda to convince the king to join the Republic which he did eventually. From where they were, Max and Ahsoka could see the royal palace in the distance, atop a hill, but that’s not where they were going. They had dropped the _Sneaky_ in a landing zone next to the city which was towered by the palace.

“According to the intel Jynna gathered last week, there’s a potential seller in the east market street.” Ahsoka said as she descended the ramp and started closing the ship once everyone was out. “Two options: the guy doesn’t know what exactly he’s selling or he knows exactly and his low price is just there to attract and fool buyers. Either way, we’re gonna need those power cells.”

“How about **the** **Secret Three**?” Max suddenly asked, tying his dreadlocks together so they wouldn’t get in the way. He still carried his blaster around.

“What?” Ahsoka frowned.

“Our secret name!”

She signed. “Me and you, that makes two. Who’s the third, Daisy or Jynna?”

“Daisy. ‘Cause Jynna’s our source. If I start counting all of our allies into our team, then I’ll have to add Taii, Softness…”

“Got it. And no. That’s a lame name.”

Ahsoka looked one last time at the ship before heading for the city. She didn’t like the things Jynna did to gather intel, but she had gotten used to it and she had taught the Twi’lek a thing or two about self-defense, so she wasn’t that much worried.

“I’ll check the merchandise, see what exactly it is and Daisy will compare with the data I implemented to calculate the real price. We’ll have to adjust though, since it’s more close to a deal on the black market than anything legal. You’ll do the negotiation.”

“ **The** **fantastic three**?”

“We do like we said so follow the plan. We’ll see what we’ll get, but we’ll split fifty fifty, as always.”

Max nodded before saying: “ **The three revolutionaries**?”

Ahsoka shot him a dark stare and they entered the city, R2-KT right behind them. The royal guards checked their weapons and took them.

“ **The** **three thieves**?”

Ahsoka ignored Max and they found the east market street. It was filled with all sorts of buyers, civilians, sellers and merchandise. People of all races were there, making business, sometimes solving problems with their fists. Ahsoka realized that all the sellers were Toydarians.

“I hate those guys,” Max whispered between clenched teeth as he was looking at every merchant as if he was about to blast them to oblivion.

Ahsoka on the other hand scanned the crowd and she was forced to get closer to Max because of the throng. She wasn’t embarrassed to be so close to him and touch him as the movements of the people turned the crowd into a living tide. Max was comfortable with Taiilyrra, Ahsoka was officially with Lux now and everything was fine between the two Nar Shaddians. They had talked things through and were good. It even got to the point where they made fun of that, joking around from time to time although it wasn’t as good as Sax’s jokes that Ahsoka missed every once in a while.

“They were several of them on Tatooine where I grew up. Especially a certain Watoo. He was the worst.”

Ahsoka grabbed Max’s hand.

“It’s alright. You’re used to deal with scum right?”

He nodded.

“So consider our seller just as that. Nothing more.”

They arrived in front of a building and entered the shop. There was no client inside which was a huge change from the busy street. The shop was filled with droid parts and metal scrap. Ahsoka let go of Max’s hand when she spotted the Toydarian behind the counter. His wrinkled skin was a dark shade of red and only one square tooth was coming out of the mouth that was crossed by a small trunk. His fast wings lifted him from a dirty cushion as the two strangers approached the counter. He indicated the pink droid.

“Looking to scrap that little fella?” he said in basic with a thick accent.

Ahsoka started looking around the shop, moving between the crowded shelves, Daisy right behind her as Max occupied the seller.

“We came to buy parts.” Max said as he leaned on the counter, making the Toydarian step back onto the cushion. “Specific parts.”

His hand shook the small bag attached to his belt and the sound of credits could be heard. The Toydarian didn’t smile as Max was expecting but instead pushed the Naboo out of the way and flew above his counter.

“Don’t touch anything!” he yelled at Ahsoka.

It was too late; the Togruta had already picked up a power cell and was closely examining it.

“Sorry boss, I can’t resist the urge to touch those power cells,” she said as she stood in front of the red Toydarian. “Military type, used in the early Clone Wars. Separatist made.”

She lowered the cell in front of Daisy who scanned it and started running comparisons with her data. While she was doing that, Max had once again leaned on the counter, propped on his right elbow and was watching the scene, an amused smile on his lips.

“ **The aggressive negotiators**?” he asked.

“Shut it Max!” Ahsoka yelled at him, placing her body on the left so she would see the smuggler before standing back where she was and resuming her explanation. “A dozen of those were enough to power up a super tank, the kind that was manufactured on Geonosis.”

The Toydarian opened his mouth in shock.

“Don’t give me that look, I know the different parts, I’m a mechanic. You see those little engravings on the side of the top? That’s the Geonosians trademark signature. This model was erased from the market rather quickly since it was just a prototype.”

“A prototype? I’ve never heard of those marks you’re talking about!”

He seemed angry now.

“You don’t believe me? See for yourself!” Ahsoka said as she threw him the power cell that he caught rather awkwardly. He looked closely at it and Daisy beeped something to Ahsoka.

“So what?” he eyes her suspiciously.

Ahsoka simply crossed her arms on her chest.

“Well, you’re selling these power cells at half the price they were sold on the market when they could still be found there. Which is very honorable of you. But, since it’s a prototype that had been erased from the market for very specific reasons, you shouldn’t be selling them at all since people don’t know they’re buying a prototype.”

Max came in and put his arm around the red Toydarian.

“So, we’ve got an offer for you, buddy. We buy all those power cells you have left for… let’s say, half of the price you’re asking right now.”

“What?” The Toydarian dropped the power cell and it clattered on the ground. Ahsoka picked it up as the seller was wringing his way out of Max’s arm and heading for the counter. “That’s theft!”

“You’d rather have the king’s guard seize your merchandise, your shop and put you out of business for illegal commerce?” Max asked.

In the end, they bought all the hundred power cells the Toydarian had in stock and took them all aboard the _Sneaky_. Ahsoka insisted they checked them and shared on the ship, which they did.

“Fifty each, like we said,” she let out.

They had already shared the money. Max nodded and took his place back as co-pilot. When Ahsoka was entering the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, he put his boots on the control panel.

“Boots off the dash,” she said without looking.

 _Jedi tricks_ , Max thought. “Why didn’t you use your special mojo on that red guy?” he asked, taking his boots off and putting his hands behind his head like always.

“Toydarians are resistant to mind tricks. Besides, it was fun tricking him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those Geonosian engravings? Complete Banthashit. They were just series numbers. But it’s true that they were manufactured on Geonosis. I took a part in bombing that facility. But that was a long time ago.”

She sat in her own seat and ignited the engines. After a moment of silence, Max added:

“ **The three badass**?”

Ahsoka sighed.


	33. Nar Kaaga - Part 1 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 4 months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, a month and a week on Nar Shaddaa / 8 months and a week after Order 66 (Year +10,1)_

Max was leaning against the wall in the living room of Scarlett’s house. The Togruta was busy upstairs, taking care of a few things. Soon afterwards, she appeared in the stairs, a bag in hand. It was the same bag she had when Max had met her all those months ago on Myrkr. She often used that bag for travelling so he wasn’t surprised to see her take it.

“Have you seen the news lately? Or read the papers?” he asked her, but she simply ignored him and walked to the cupboard where dry food was stored.

Max knew Ahsoka followed what happened in the rest of the galaxy. When she wasn’t working on droids and stuff in the workshop, she came to Taii’s bar and read the papers or watched the news and then debated about them with Old Hoody and Taii. Max had more than once entered the saloon only to be greeted by shouts and loud arguments about politics, regulations and justice. Each member of the family had different opinions and they were not shy about sharing them, that’s why the arguments were always loud, but at the end of the day, everybody calmed down.

“I guess not,” Max answered to his own questions as Ahsoka was digging in the cupboard for whatever it was she was looking for. And since she didn’t see the news, the Naboo made it his mission of the day to inform her on what she had missed. “The only thing remotely interesting was something that happened on Corellia two days ago. A certain company bankrupted and was shut down. Have you ever heard about the _Corellian_ _Star Jump Transport Corporation_ before?”

That got Ahsoka’s attention and her head appeared out of the cupboard. She seemed surprised at first, a little at loss for words for a few seconds before she shrugged.

“I worked for them. So what?”

Her voice had an unusual icy cold tone to it that Max had never heard before. It made him shudder.

“Nothing. I was just wondering since you mentioned having worked on Corellia as a pilot.”

Ahsoka said nothing and got out of the cupboard, her lips sealed and her face serious. She put what she found on the table and started to fill her bag with dried fruit, water and even bacta plasters which truly surprised Max. So much that he put down his holopad and approached the Togruta.

“What are you doing Scarlett? Where do you think you’re going?”

Suddenly, it dawned on him and he paled.

“Holy kriff! You’re not planning on going after him are you? You saw what he did to her! I know you have your training and your Jedi mojo, but you’re no match for him!”

Ahsoka stopped and looked angrily at Max.

“Don’t you dare tell me what I can and cannot do! That bastard needs to pay for what he did to Jynna!” She resumed her packing. “You saw what he did, how he hurt her. She was covered in bruises and cuts, Max! I can’t let that slimo get away with this.” She swiftly zipped her bag shut. “And it’s not just about Jynna. At this point, it’s personal. That slime ball and I go a long way back. I’ve got some scores to settle.”

“So you know him? Because Jynna simply described…”

“Oh, I could recognize him anywhere. No one looks like him. And the hat? Ugh, trust me, he’s the only one to dare wear such a thing.”

She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs, Max on her heels.

“I see I won’t be able to change your mind so let me come with you.”

She stopped in the middle of the stairs and Max almost fell on her. He grabbed the railing at the last moment, regaining the semblance of a balance.

“I need you here. To take care of Jynna. I hate leaving her like this but I have to find the one who did that to her. And it’s not up to discussion!”

And with that, she left the house as Max sighed and went back upstairs. “Come on Daisy, we’ve got a slimo to catch.” Ahsoka motioned to the droid that beeped and followed the repairer outside. The _Sneaky_ left Nar Shaddaa soon afterwards and Daisy stayed with Ahsoka in the cockpit, connected to the ship’s system.

“Set the coordinates to Nar Kaaga, R2-KT.”

It didn’t take Ahsoka long to reach the planet. It was a little bit like Toydaria and Manpha, mostly composed of swamps and the Togruta was getting used to this kind of scenery because a lot of planets in the Hutt space were like that: not very hospitable but perfect for hiding and smuggling. She landed the _Sneaky_ at a fuel station and entered the only bar there. She had learned with Master Plo that it was the most likely place to get useful intel from scum. Anakin had confirmed the belief that scum hid in that kind of places when they were looking for Obi-Wan’s murderer. Whatever it was she would get – intel or the guy himself – she was sure to find it in this scum-hole. And the man she was looking for was on the top of her scum-list.

The bar was nothing like Taii’s saloon. Sure, it was full of scum, but the owner or bartender had none of Taii’s decency and honor. It was a female Besalisk that served drinks, cleaned glasses and took the money four times faster than a mere human thanks to her eight arms. Ahsoka didn’t attract too much attention in that loud atmosphere. She wore her goggles on her new headdress, her lekku and montrals were covered in dust and she wore a grey tunic and matching pants. She had also reinforced her boots and added protections around her knees. More than once, she had ripped her pants after kneeling on the ground while repairing the _Sneaky_ ’s underbelly for hours.

Ahsoka eyed carefully the people already inside and sat on a high stool at the counter, facing the Besalisk woman. She then took one of her vibroblades out and put it on the dirty counter along with a couple of golden credits.

“We don’t take credits. This ain’t Coruscant, honey,” the bartender said in a raspy voice.

Ahsoka knew some smugglers and bounty hunters didn’t like using credits because it was too clean. Hondo for one was a pain in the butt when it came to payment; Ahsoka had witnessed it firsthand throughout the years. But she kept her cool and simply pressed her elbow on the wood.

“It’s a way of paying just like any other,” Ahsoka shrugged then placed her hand above them. “If you don’t want them, too bad for you. I’m sure I’ll find someone here that won’t be so picky.”

“Wait,” the Besalisk said. She served a client before turning back to the Togruta. “What do you want?”

“A drink. And somebody’s whereabouts. I’ll have Kaal’s coconut liquor.”

Ahsoka knew that most bars had that liquor and it didn’t contain too much alcohol. She then kept silent while the Besalisk made her drink behind her back, her hands moving swiftly and never dropping a thing. Once the drink was ready, the bartender slammed it in front of Ahsoka, a little bit of froth landing on her elbow while the paper umbrella almost fell off. The Togruta pressed the glass to her lips and took a sip before whispering a name to the Besalisk who just sighted and took the credits.

“He ain’t here, honey.”

“But he was?”

The Besalisk nodded. “He comes here often. Maybe you’ll see him if you wait.”

“I didn’t come here to wait for him to show his ugly face,” Ahsoka spat. It wasn’t like her to get that angry but that scum had dared touch Jynna. The state she had come back to Nar Shaddaa after a mission… she could barely walk. Old Hoody had warned Ahsoka about her anger, he saw how it took the better of her, but she couldn’t let that go. The image of the bruised and bloody blue Twi’lek lingered in her mind whenever she closed her eyes. And just like she had told Max: she had scores to settle.

“I noticed,” the eight-armed woman said, eyeing the blade still on the counter. She then looked around to see if no one was listening before adding: “the lad you’re looking for is the rival of Orko’s favorite bounty hunter. So you better watch out for yourself. But I guess you know what you’re dealing with.”

She paused before sighting again. “He sometimes stays at the hotel at the corner of the street.”

Ahsoka thanked her, took her blade and started to walk out of the bar. When she was almost at the door, a hand grabbed her wrist. A green Twi’lek with a missing eye smiled drunkenly at her.

“Where you’re going, gorgeous? The party’s here!”

“Take your hand off or I’ll cut it.”

Her grip on the blade tightened but the Twi’lek did nothing to stop and so in one swift movement, she traced a deep cut on the man’s arm, not enough to cut it off but enough to make him let go and yelp in pain. He cursed at her but Ahsoka was already out of the bar. Ahsoka didn’t like the fact that she was on Hutt territory and that she was messing with his bounty hunters but she had no choice. Orko might be a low class Hutt, but he was still a fat giant larva. Every time she had encountered a Hutt, things didn’t go as planned. Sure, she only knew Jabba and Zero and also now Grakkus, but it was already more than she was comfortable with. She just hoped she wouldn’t run into Orko or even Bobba Fett for that matter. Last time she had seen him with Aura Sing, things went south.

She reached the building and entered. She only had to show a couple more credits to the Rhodian at the reception desk before he told her that the man she was looking for was indeed staying in one of the rooms. Once she got the number she tried to get the spare key card for the door. A little bit of persuasion with the Force helped her get what she wanted. She was reluctant to use the Force, but she didn’t want to waste time and no one was around to see and there were no cameras. She then walked straight to the room. The number greeted her grimly and she took a couple of deep breaths to calm her beating heart. She still hadn’t decided what she would do to that bounty hunter but she was fairly certain he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He never did, back in the day.

Once she had gathered enough courage, she looked at the panel and inserted the key card inside. A green light appeared on the panel and the metal door slid open. Ahsoka stayed hidden against one of the walls and swiftly moved her hand in the opening before hiding it. As expected, a blaster shot greeted her, burning a hole into the wall of the corridor. It was followed by a voice whose sound was distorted by breathing tubes.

“Show yourself!” said the man inside and Ahsoka recognized the voice. She had been right all along.

She made her hand appear again, holding a vibroblade and slowly emerged from her spot. She fully appeared in the doorframe, both hands raised next to her head. The fact that she was holding blades and not blasters seemed to reassure whoever was inside.

“Show your face, I can’t see you,” the voice said again.

Ahsoka did as she was told and took a step forward, entering the room and the artificial light dangling from the ceiling illuminated her features. The bounty hunter was sitting on the bed next to the window, blaster in hand. His body posture showed he was ready to jump through the window at a moment’s notice. His skin was blue and his red eyes studied her face, eyebrows frowning slightly, a sign that he hadn’t recognized her yet. A cowboy like hat was resting on the back of a chair and boots with propellers stoof next to the bed.

The Duros finally realized who she was and an amused smile appeared on his old face. “Long time no see, Jedi,” he said without lowering the blaster.

“Hi Bane,” she answered.


	34. Nar Kaaga - Part 2 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 4 months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, a month and a week on Nar Shaddaa / 8 months and a week after Order 66 (Year +10,1)_

None of them dared move. They observed each other, breathing slowly and studying each other carefully.

“Just like old times, hum?” the Duros smirked.

His twin blasters were still raised and so were Ahsoka’s vibroblades. Although she couldn’t shoot, she could always deflect the shots. True, they both used the same techniques and tricks, but a lot has changed. So much, Ahsoka didn’t even know where to start. But she wasn’t there to catch up with the bounty hunter.

“Not exactly,” she answered.

Her arm muscles twitched slightly when Bane’s fingers moved on his blaster, taping the handle as if he was bored. Ahsoka waited for Bane to act first and she was sure he would break the silence sooner or later: he was too curious not to. Until he did, she looked closely at his silhouette. She realized he had gotten old. The last time she saw him, he had tried to kill her when she and Anakin were after Obi-Wan’s supposed murderer. It all ended in Naboo; she remembered that day clearly. His face was more wrinkled than before, his eyes were slightly dropping on the corners but his mouth still had that slime ball smirk she hated so much. It only made her want to punch him in the face.

He was also thinner. He seemed more fragile, weak almost. Two, nearly three years had gone by since the last time they met but it seemed to Ahsoka it had been a decade. She felt sorry for the guy at first, she wanted to pity him but it was soon replaced by pure anger when she remembered what he did to Jynna. Her hold on the blades tightened which didn’t seem to go unnoticed by the blue Duros.

“You seem a little tight, Youngling. Is hiding from the Empire this hard?”

“Let’s talk about what you did to my friend instead!” Ahsoka spat angrily. Her eyes were dark and seemed to be about to strike the older man. “A blue Twi’lek, around fifteen years old, wearing a purple tunic and silver jewelry,” it had been Jynna’s cover at the time; she wore those clothes when she came back to Nar Shaddaa. “She’s my sister, you slimo!”

He smiled when she made a step towards him and raised his blasters, taking off the safety. “I hurt a lot of people, you know…”

“She was half-beaten to death, you monster! She was covered in too many bruises and cuts to count!” Ahsoka billowed, letting all her anger out. She felt the cold sweep of the Dark Side suddenly enter the room. The same kind of feelings as on Mortis took over her, making her shiver at first, but then she embraced it. She didn’t entirely let go of all her principles, but her thoughts were murderous.

She growled and her pointed white teeth shone in the light hanging from the ceiling when she threw her head slightly back, darkness raging in her eyes and heart. “No one dares touch her and get away with it!”

She jumped at him, blades at the ready.

Ahsoka easily deflected the first two shots. One of them slammed into the window frame near Bane’s head, the other hit the lamp above. The light danced on the two fighters, lighting up and darkening their features, shadowing their movements, building up the adrenaline. Ahsoka’s first blade cut the sheets of the bed in half and the other touched Bane on the cheek, tracing a burning line on his dark blue face. He whipped the green smudge of his blood and jumped from the bed.

He landed in his boots and stepped back, firing wildly at Ahsoka. The Togruta didn’t have trouble deflecting the numerous blasts but all the focus she had to muster for such a feat prevented her from attacking. Bane took advantage of that and swiftly grabbed his hat.

“I’d really like to stay and dance, since we were interrupted last time. But you’re not getting my hide today…”

She didn’t let him finish and used the Force to slam him against the now closed door.

“Things have changed. You have no idea what I’ve been through since the Empire was proclaimed, since I left the Order! I’m stronger than before!” Ahsoka yelled and kept holding him with the Force, slowly crushing his throat against the hard steel door.

“Not… strong… enough…” Bane whispered with difficulty and raised his blasters.

Ahsoka let him go at the same time as she used one of her hands to push the pistol to the side, still using the Force. But she couldn’t push the other one and a blast hit her in the right shoulder, mirroring the wound she had once got on Onderon although her scars were really light and could only be seen if you knew exactly where to look.

“So long,” the Duros said while opening the door. He brought the edge of his big hat a little more down, smiling broadly as Ahsoka was holding her injured shoulder, having sheathed her blades. After a last glance the bounty hunter set off, running through the corridor to the back entrance of the hotel.

He came out in the street and holstered his blasters. Lowering his head, he blended in the crowd, walking towards the nearest space port. He could already picture his escape in his mind: steal a ship maybe even the Jedi’s, fly to Rorak for a few days to catch the latest slave auction and then improvise. He might even meet some of his work contacts and get back to business. He had managed to gain the trust of Orko, even competed with Bobba to prove who was best. Bane was better than the kid, but the boy remained a threat: he was getting stronger and earning experience every day whereas Bane was only growing older. So far, he could compete as the best bounty hunter around but that would end eventually.

As he was pushing his way through the crowd, elbowing a couple of Weequays to get to the space port faster, someone grabbed him by the arm and violently ripped him from the throng. He found himself in a small alleyway along with the Togruta who looked pissed. He was about to let a sarcastic comment fly about her lack of self-control, the fact that it wasn’t the Jedi way but she cut him short by violently shoving him against the wall on his left.

The Togruta didn’t go easy on him and punched him in the face and chest. She took his blasters and threw them away. She was moving so fast, he couldn’t do anything. When he did try, she broke his right arm, making him cry out in pain. He activated the thrusters on his boots and shot to the sky, the former Jedi still holding his broken limb. They didn’t fly very far and haphazardly landed in a square next door, on a couple of crates that were destroyed under their weight and force of landing.

Wood splinters got stuck in Ahsoka’s back lek, making her yelp in pain and she was dazed for a minute. Bane was whimpering next to her and didn’t seem to be in a state to go anywhere. She would have made fun of him if she wasn’t hurt herself. That fight was going nowhere. She had to end it. Before the local authorities came would be great.

Scrambling to her feet, Ahsoka brought her vibroblade under Bane’s chin, pressing the tip against the blue wrinkled skin. Green droplets of slimo blood appeared and the Duros froze and stopped whimpering because of his broken arm. Ahsoka’s eyes were full of darkness and her heart was filled with hate. She wanted to cut his throat, to see him suffer and relish on that pain. She wanted to see the surprise in his eyes when she’d plunge the blade in his neck, to see him choke on his own vital fluid, to see despair in his red hateful eyes that were so much inhuman.

She suddenly remembered something. A memory from long ago. Kalifa was the name that stuck in her mind. She saw in her mind the Corellian Padawan and the moment when she had almost strangled to death one of the Trandoshian hunters. Ahsoka remembered very well her own words. “That’s not the Jedi way” she said out loud to the Duros’ surprise. She could feel the Dark Side’s clutches around her body like a cloak and she dropped her blade to shake off the unpleasant feeling. She was going to be sick.

Falling to her knees, she tried to calm her suddenly erratic heartbeat. She had almost killed someone out of hatred. That constant thought that rang in her head made her sick to the stomach. But Bane was still alive and very lucid despite the pain. He saw an opening and was about to activate his thrusters but Ahsoka punched him, knocking him off. Just looking at him made her sick and so she got up and ran to the space port. She didn’t care about leaving him there, best case scenario, the authorities would take him in. Worst case, he’d come after her. But she didn’t want to see him again, not after almost succumbing to the Dark Side because of her anger.

Once she was inside the _Sneaky_ , she asked Daisy to take care of the take off and get them past the atmosphere. After finally throwing up in a bag, she called Jynna during. It was Max that answered. He seemed worried about her tone and the too fast way she talked, as if she was panicking. Ahsoka refused to explain and asked for Old Hoody. After a few minutes of silence during which Max went looking for the Bothan and Ahsoka winced when she applied bacta plasters on her wound, Kai answered and she explained the situation. She told the older Jedi about her temptation and guild, crying all the while, completely lost and frustrated with herself, trembling violently as she sobbed.

After she was finished, Old Hoody simply asked her to come to Nar Shaddaa to get him.

“I know a place where you could lay low and reconnect with the Force,” Kai Hudorra said. “Let me take you there. Give me two weeks and I’ll help you get over this ordeal. We could even train a little.”

“Okay,” Ahsoka whispered, still shaken up.


	35. Lannik (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 4 months and 3 weeks after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, a month and 3 weeks on Nar Shaddaa / 8 months and 3 weeks after Order 66 (Year +10,3)_

Just like he had promised to Fulcrum, Max landed the _Stella_ on Lannik, with Jynna and Daisy on board. The Twi’lek was more excited than ever and kept bouncing her legs while the ship stabilized on solid ground right next to the _Sneaky_. Once Max gave her the green light, she grabbed the huge backpack she had prepared and slung it across her shoulder. But it was too heavy and she lost her balance, barely catching it at the last minute as the bag fell with a thud.

“I’ll take care of that,” Max said, laughing at the sight of the Twi’lek trying to lift the backpack. He grabbed it when she let him and couldn’t lift it at first. “What the kriff did you put in there? Asteroid debris?” It took him a good dozen seconds to lift the backpack and put it on his back. He almost fell backwards under the weight.

“Nope. Just some things Scarlett might need,” Jynna said joyfully as she skittered outside. Her lekku were undulating like wild blue snakes as she jumped from one foot to the other like a four-year-old. Max was glad to see her act so carefree and happy, just like the Jynna he knew before the Empire came. The only positive thing that came out of this troubled period of time was Scarlett.

It had taken Jynna a while to heal, both physically and mentally. Her cuts and bruises had all faded and she wasn’t limping anymore. Fortunately, Bane didn’t do more to her than just punch her and kick her in the ribs when he had found out she had some dangerous intel about him. Jynna was never planning on selling that intel to the Hutts or Fett, which would have been the equivalent of a death sentence for the Duros. She was planning on bringing it back to Taiilyrra, that was it. But Bane wouldn’t let her go and left her for dead on Nar Kaaga. It was Softness, who was supposed to bring the Twi’lek home once she retrieved the information, who found her, lying unconscious in an alley.

Ahsoka had been furious when she found out when the Wookie brought Jynna home. The Twi’lek’s blood had soaked through the fur on his arms and it took him three hours of rubbing soap to get rid of the copper stench. Ahsoka had taken care of Jynna’s wounds, had used bacta plasters and shots before she left for Taii’s bar. She had yelled at the Chagrian so loudly and for so long, Max thought about interfering. Ahsoka had made it very clear that it was out of the question that Jynna would work for Taiilyrra again, at least not on that kind of jobs. Whereas Taii kept on telling that it wasn’t the Togruta’s call, that Jynna was old enough to make her own decisions and chose her line of work. Old Hoody offered to train the young Twi’lek both at blaster shooting and self-defense which seemed to be fine with both women. Then haven’t spoken since and Ahsoka had left for Nar Kaaga right after the argument.

Max wasn’t so much concerned about the two women’s relationship. He knew they’d work it all out. When Ahsoka had called home, Max had been forced to get Old Hoody on the comlink. The Bothan had been brief and explained the situation to which Max only sighed. When the _Sneaky_ had landed on Nar Shaddaa to pick Kai up, Ahsoka didn’t come out of her ship. She sent Daisy to say with Jynna during her recovery, hoping the pink droid would cheer the Twi’lek up and it did. Daisy had been very present, always staying in Jynna’s room once Max had lifted it up the stairs. Since Jynna understood the beepings Max didn’t, the Twi’lek constantly talked to the astromech and it beeped back. They even played sabacc together.

Ahsoka and Old Hoody had been gone for two weeks. The Bothan made contact with Max every few days, keeping them posted on Ahsoka’s state. She was a mess. Being so close to embracing the Dark Side and doing something she’d regret for the rest of her life had shaken her up so badly it took her an entire week to stop saying she was worthless. Once she stopped doubting herself, Old Hoody had helped her meditate through it all and after two weeks, she was herself again. Well, not entirely, but since she left the Order, she could never be the same. This didn’t mean she couldn’t be something better.

Max, Jynna and RT-KT walked on a trail between fields ready to be harvested, leaving the _Stella_ and the _Sneaky_ behind. A small Lannik village could be seen in the distance, some two or three clicks away and Max promised the Twi’lek they’d get down there to see the people. A cavern could be seen a little farther away from the path. Jynna looked at the fields that didn’t seem to end and took a small device form her pants pocket. The smuggler from Naboo recognized it as her holocamera. A click resonated in the air and Jynna showed her picture to Max, all happy and smiling broadly.

“It’s for my collection! I didn’t have Lannik until now.” Max smiled back and they resumed walking. He was aware of Jynna’s landscape pictures collection. He had been there when she had started it after her parents’ death. He had even taken half of the pictures himself. He was glad she was back on her feet. It had taken her a lot of time to heal mentally and Daisy had been a huge help in the process.

They reached the entrance of the cavern and peeked inside. A door greeted them, a green plant next to it. Jynna was immediately interested by the plant that looked carnivorous. It had a huge mouth and the Twi’lek was sure she could see eyes on top of it. When she reached her hand towards it, the plant nearly bit it off and Jynna leaped back with a yelp.

“Don’t touch that,” Max said as he knocked on the door. Old Hoody opened and invited them inside.

The interior was arranged like a house: basic furniture, a kitchen and even a comfy couch. Ahsoka sat on a carpet on the floor, eyes closed and her vibroblades in front of her. She was meditating and Kai motioned for them to sit at the table in silence. But Ahsoka had noticed their presence and joined them at the table after picking up her weapons. That is, once Jynna had hugged her for a good minute. Daisy beeped joyfully and Max patted the Togruta on the shoulder as a way of greeting her. Kai made them some tea while Ahsoka explained that she had mostly been meditating during those last two weeks.

“But we trained a bit too,” Ahsoka said, looking at Old Hoody who was getting about in the kitchen. “I practiced how to hide my Force signature so that I won’t put anyone in danger back on Nar Shaddaa.” It hadn’t been an issue so far but things could change quickly. She knew the Empire was slowly forcing every planet into submission and that it would take time for Nar Shaddaa. She knew the smuggler’s moon was in Hutt territory but even the Hutts would have to make some kind of deal with the emperor if they hadn’t already. She saw Stormtroopers invade systems everyday on the news, the Hutts’ space would be targeted too eventually.

“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?” Max asked, seeing the frown on Ahsoka’s forehead. He knew her for a while now and was always surprised at how masterfully she managed to hide her feelings and doubts during missions and raids. But whenever the Force was concerned, her worry was as plain as day. She nodded and Kai brought the tea and some eucalyptus flavored biscuits. Max took one of them and choked on it. He found them awful and was about to spit it out when Kai told them he had made them himself. So instead, he swallowed with difficulty and took a sip of tea, burning his tongue in the hastiness to wash away the bad taste. He discretely gave Jynna the rest of his biscuit since the Twi’lek was wolfing them down.

“Two things actually,” Ahsoka answered. “The first one is a presence that I’ve been feeling in the Force since the beginning of the year. Like a spark. I think it’s a powerful Youngling. If the Emperor gets his hands on that child…” she shuddered.

“Then why don’t we go ahead and find that child before anybody else does?” Max asked. “Since you can sense that kid, it shouldn’t be too hard. And you could use fresh blood, right? I mean, I know Jedi are hunted down and all, but wouldn’t you need someone to pass your knowledge to? It sucks if you two are the only ones left from that grand Order.”

“We’ll have to protect that child because no one else can or will,” Ahsoka replied, her hands grabbing her cup of tea. “But its presence eludes me. It comes and goes constantly and it’s somewhere north for now, in the general direction of Zygeria.” Max paled at the mention of the planet but quickly recovered. It didn’t escape Ahsoka but she decided to ask him about it later. “It’s become stronger lately, it somehow seems nervous…”

Max saw her frown again. The Togruta was clearly frustrated with herself for not being capable to locate that child more precisely or connect to it. The smuggler turned to Kai. “Can’t you feel it too?”

The Bothan smiled, showing his pointed teeth. “My powers are not what they used to be in my youth. Besides, I’m focusing on hiding my connection to the Force, not expanding it.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure you two Jedi will figure it out,” Max said, wincing when the temperature of his drink hurt him again.

“I am no Jedi,” Ahsoka let out softly, almost like a whisper. Max raised a confused eyebrow but she changed the subject. “The second thing that worries me is that I felt something bad when I…” She took a deep breath, clearly not liking what she was about to say. “When I almost let the Dark Side take over me, I felt something, or rather someone. Someone powerful was lurking in the Dark Side. I’ve never felt anything like that before, not even when I encountered Sith warriors or lords.” It hadn’t been that powerful and strange when she had met Ventress or even Dooku. “Someone very dangerous is out there and I have the feeling they are hunting down the remaining Jedi.”

Kai said nothing; despite his old age and his claims that he wasn’t as good as before, he had sensed that presence too.

Jynna quickly dissipated the gloom that had crept into the cavern by showing Ahsoka everything she had brought for her from Nar Shaddaa. She placed the different objects on the table, occasionally nibbling at eucalyptus biscuits. She had brought a pink scarf that she had knitted herself while she was resting after the accident, pictures from Taii and Softness to upload on Ahsoka’s hologram displayer, fruit and a cake she had baked herself, a few droid parts to tinker with in case the Togruta got bored and a bottle of Meiloorun liquor from Taiilyrra’s bar. Ahsoka thanked her and put the scarf around her neck before they all ate dinner together.

The next day, Max and Jynna went to the village just like the smuggler had promised. Meanwhile Ahsoka called a few people. She needed to make sure they were okay and she didn’t have the courage to call them before. They left the cavern soon afterwards too. Ahsoka couldn’t help but feel moved when they left it and got down to the village. Kai gave the key back to a lady Lannik who happened to be Master Piell’s sister. Max, Jynna and Daisy then got back to Nar Shaddaa aboard the _Stella_ and Ahsoka and Old Hoody went with the _Sneaky_ on another planet to continue their training.


	36. Ylesia (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and 5 months after leaving the Jedi Order / a year and 2 months on Nar Shaddaa / 9 months after Order 66 (Year +11)_

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Because my former Master has told me stories about those creatures and it didn’t end well,” Ahsoka said, frowning.

A loud noise could be heard. It was coming closer and the ground shook. They were in a grass field, the kind that could be found on Naboo. A huge beast was running towards her and Ahsoka jumped to the side, barely avoiding the tumbling animal that roared in frustration when it didn’t hit her. It kept running for a while in a straight line as if it wasn’t capable of changing directions.

“I know it’s part of my training, but I think I’ve got the dodge covered!”

She focused on the Reek in front of her that finally stopped and turned around. It brushed the ground angrily with its huge hoof and dashed towards her, its three horns ready to impale her.

Old Hoody was sitting high up on a rock a few feet away. He was watching her since she had annoyed that creature in purpose. It was supposed to be herbivorous but could be aggressive if provoked. And Ahsoka had done just that. She started to regret listening to the old Bothan.

“I am well aware of your skills.” Ahsoka jumped in the air, way above the Reek that kept running. “But I want to see if you are able to hide your Force signature in the midst of action,” Kai said, clasping his clawed hands in front of him before nibbling on a eucalyptus-flavored biscuit.

Ahsoka groaned but dodged for the third time. The massive beast ran next to her. Its powerful paws flattened the grass. “Remind me what exactly you wanted me to do besides dodging?” the Togruta asked, turning in the Reek’s direction, watching it turn angrily.

“Connect with it, try to calm it down.”

Ahsoka lifted her hands in front of her and taped into the Force without revealing her presence. She didn’t think it was possible, but Master Hudorra had taught her that technique during the last couple of days. She tried to connect with the beast that threatened her, but she didn’t manage to focus her thoughts. She could see the three horns pointing directly at her, about to pierce her flesh.

She jumped.

Ahsoka landed lightly on the Reek’s grey back. Only the animal’s head was red. She grabbed the middle horn and held onto in for dear life, her legs clutching the beast’s thick sides. She looked so small on its back, it was ridiculous. The Reek stomped around, trying to shack her off.

“Connect with it!” Kai yelled from his rock before taking another biscuit.

“I’m trying!” she responded through gritted teeth.

Each of the beast’s violent movements send tremors through her body, making her arms shake like the branches of a fragile tree. She almost let go and her hands were slowly slipping on the rough and wide horn. She closed her eyes and let one of her hands go. She pressed it directly on the animal’s head and put all her resolve in that gesture. The Reek slowed down and stopped in the middle of the grass field. Ahsoka leaned forward and whispered towards the animal. It shook its enormous head and walked heavily to the rock on which Old Hoody was sitting.

“See? I knew you could do it. Your Force signature didn’t show up even for a second. You did good, Scarlett.”

Ahsoka smiled. Since Grakkus the Hutt had showed up in Taii’s bar, Old Hoody was very careful. He only mentioned the Force or the Jedi when he was certain they were alone and no one was listening. She had grown accustomed to the name Jynna had given her after her late mother. Scarlett was a pretty name and Ahsoka was proud to wear it. Kai threw her a biscuit and she caught it. The Reek had started eating the grass, completely ignoring the Togruta on its back.

“So, what now?” Ahsoka asked once she finished her biscuit. Old Hoody was drinking tea. Ahsoka had no idea how he made some without her noticing because she was fairly certain she didn’t see him move in the slightest.

“Well, we’ve been training for three weeks now. Max and Jynna came to see us on Lannik a week ago. I think it’s time to go back.”

 _To Nar Shaddaa_ , Ahsoka thought. She had to admit, she missed her home. She smiled when she realized she considered the Smuggler’s moon her home. Two years earlier, she would have laughed if someone had told her she’d live on the run in the Hutt’s space. She was impatient to see her friends and family but dreaded to see Taiilyrra. She knew she owed the other woman some sort of apology but the Chagrian had disappointed her. Ahsoka promised herself to make it right. She turned to Kai:

“Alright. Let’s go home. But I want to try something first.”

And with that, she bent forward and whispered something to the Reek. It suddenly raised its head and jumped to the side. With a loud bellow, it sprinted in the grass field and Ahsoka rose to her feet, placing her body sideways as if she was surfing. With her hands outstretched, she managed to keep her balance and laughed out loud, tears of joy prickling at her eyes.

Old Hoody just sighed and drank his tea, finishing his biscuits without budging.

Letting her excitement take the better of her, Ahsoka let the Reek roam freely. She allowed it to run wherever it wanted to run. She could feel the beast’s powerful muscles and the noise its paws made on the ground was similar to thunder. She was making a mental map to be able to go back to Kai later, but except for that slight surveillance, she didn’t control the animal she was standing on. It had been a while since she had trained like this. But her body remembered. She put her balance to the test with every tremor, every little jump the Reek made. Thrilled by the challenge, she was so focused on not falling that she only noticed too late the gap in front of her.

A cliff stretched in a long line and disappeared in the horizon. The Reek wouldn’t be able to jump to the other side. Ahsoka’s eyes widened in shock and she looked around for a solution. She found none and the animal was almost on the edge. The Togruta did the first thing she could think of: she jumped ship. The Reek on the other hand tried helplessly to slow down but his massive body fell off the edge.

Ahsoka rolled gracefully on the grassy ground and skittered to the edge. She outstretched her hand towards the Reek that was falling helplessly and bellowing in fright. The Togruta frowned under the weight of the creature and used both hands to slow its fall. After a couple of scary seconds, she managed to stop the animal in mid-air. The fact that it was panicking and moving its limbs wildly didn’t help. Sweat started to appear on Ahsoka’s forehead.

Excruciatingly slowly, she managed to bring the Reek up. She was forced to sit down to have a better position and almost dropped the creature several times in the process. Eventually, the Reek’s paws landed on the edge of the cliff and it ran away from it, his connection with the former Jedi completely forgotten. Ahsoka took a few minutes to recover from the effort before joining Old Hoody. The Bothan didn’t ask her what happened and they entered the _Sneaky_.

Once they had left the atmosphere and entered hyperspace, Ahsoka excused herself and left the cockpit. She walked into her room although she didn’t really consider it her own since she rarely slept in it. She had probably slept less than three times in it since she had bought the ship. Because when she was out in the galaxy with Max, she often fell asleep in the cockpit, feet propped up on the control panels.

She sat down on her bed and pressed the buttons on her right gloved arm. After making sure the channel was secure, she called the person she longed most.

“Hey Scarlett,” said a familiar voice that made Ahsoka smile. The hologram appeared soon afterwards and Lux’s face filled the empty space in front of the Togruta.

“Wait… are you wearing a moustache?” she asked, forgetting to greet him.

Lux looked embarrassed and slightly blushed. “I… you don’t like it?” he asked.

Ahsoka smiled. “I might need some time to get used to it, but it looks good on you. Anyway, how are you? Anything remotely interesting happened in the civilized side of the galaxy?”

“Not much. The Senate is still shaken and some politicians have their own secret agendas.”

“Don’t they always?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know yet if it’s for or against the Empire. I heard a few rumors about uprisings in faraway systems and some politicians disappeared the day after,” he sighed.

“Be careful out there.” Ahsoka’s anxious tone made Lux smile softly.

“Don’t worry. Having a Besalisk bodyguard dissuades pretty much everyone from messing with me. What about you? What have you been up to?”

Ahsoka had already told Lux about Bane and her whole breakdown after that. She had tried to reach several people on Lannik, Obi-Wan and Yoda among others but neither Master had responded. Their communications had long been destroyed and Ahsoka couldn’t find a new way to talk to them. She had also reached out to several of her contacts in friendly systems like Naboo, Shili and Alderaan.

The thing that bothered her was that she hadn’t been able to track Rex. She had learned from Lux that the Clones had been put to retirement, replaced by Stormtroopers and that a chip in their heads had made them execute Order 66, but she had no idea if Rex had been among those that pulled the trigger. She had heard stories about Clones that had their chips removed and, since she couldn’t find Rex, she believed he hadn’t been around during the fall of the Jedi. She hoped so at least.

“I’ve been mostly training lately. Oh and I nearly fell off a cliff an hour ago,” she said.

Lux almost chocked on that. “You what?!”

Ahsoka explained the day’s events and they talked a little bit about everything and nothing before Lux mentioned something important. “You know, I’d really like to come and visit you on Nar Shaddaa soon. It’s been a while since we saw each other without using holograms.”

“I know,” she answered. “But we both knew that we wouldn’t always be together.” Truth was she was missing him bad but didn’t say so: she didn’t want him to feel even guiltier and then do something stupid like leaving the Senate to become a fugitive like she was.

“Of course, I want to see you, but I’ve got a little something for you too.”

“Don’t tell me you bought me a Tauntaun!” He had once joked he’d buy her one.

“No, I know it wouldn’t survive Nar Shaddaa’s hot climate, although I did think about it. No, it’s something smaller. I think you’ll like it.”

They settled for a date in the next few months and it was time for Ahsoka to get back into the cockpit because they were already coming out of hyperspace since Ylesia and Nar Shaddaa weren’t far. After saying goodbye to her soul mate, Ahsoka left her room.


	37. Nar Shaddaa - Part 7 (19 BBY)

_19 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 5 months and 3 weeks after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 2 months and 3 weeks on Nar Shaddaa / 9 months and 3 weeks after Order 66 (Year +11,3)_

Ahsoka was running through narrow streets. The walls were made of bright stone but were so tall that the sun barely lit them. She was wearing a purple dress and too many jewels. Some of them seemed to be missing: her left lek was bare, whereas her right lek was nested in a silver band. Her feet were covered in dust and sweat was shining on her dark orange skin. She had been running for a long time but didn’t seem to be slowing down in the slightest.

Blaster shots followed her and shouts echoed in the alleys. People of all races were in the streets but stayed next to the walls, clearly not wanting to have anything to do with the pursuit. Most of them looked scared out of their minds. The ones that tried to stop her had blasters or whips that she managed to dodge.

Ahsoka jumped on a crate of fruit to land on a flat roof. She kept running and only looked down in the alleys to keep track of the people pursuing her. She was slowly losing them and activated the comlink she had in her hand since she wasn’t wearing her gloves. “Daisy? Are you there?” The droid beeped in response joyfully. “Yeah, I know, I’m happy to hear you too but you’ve got to fire up the engines! Why? Because we’ve got company!” The astromech beeped some more, in frustration this time. “I don’t care you don’t like emergency departures! Move your circuits, now!”

A red blast hit the edge of the roof next to her, making her look down for a second. An angry Zygerian was shouting at her, his face turning from his chocolate brown to an angry red. She kept running until she arrived at the end of the roof with no other building close by to jump onto. She almost fell off the edge but stepped back as her arms and lekku flailed in the empty space. A square full of life could be seen underneath. People walked in groups, with always one leading them and shouting, sometimes even hitting them. From above, they looked like flocks of sheep led by angry dogs. Some of those people pointed at her, revealing her position. Ahsoka could hear the Zygerian and his allies getting closer. It was a matter of seconds before they’d reach the square and have a clear shot at her.

“Oh, poodoo!” she said before jumping down.

* * *

 

Ahsoka abruptly woke up. She immediately sat in her bed and gripped the sheets, breathing loudly. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel the sweat trickling down her spine, wetting her bra. Because of Nar Shaddaa’s climate and the house’s poor thermal isolation, she wore light clothes when she slept, usually a bra and shorts. She hated long nightgowns that stuck to her body like a cocoon.

As she tried to regain control of her breathing, she looked around her room. The half-opened sheet metal shutters were behind her and she felt their cold sting when she touched them. Moonlight was pouring through the wide gaps, shedding silver rays on her face, creating at the same time a small horned shadow in front of her.

Ahsoka rose to her knees and approached the window. She could see no one in the streets, not even the usual drunkards that sometimes woke her up in the middle of the night. Everything seemed calm and she couldn’t hear anything else than a slight buzzing. It came from the refresher downstairs and she had gotten used to the noise after a week. Once she was certain there was no imminent danger, Ahsoka climbed out of bed and walked down the stairs to the living room.

“It was just a dream. Or was it a vision?” she whispered to herself. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered. Some details had escaped her before, like the few cuts that littered her arms or the struggle she had felt through the Force. The presence she had felt during that dream came back to her, crashing into her mind like a tidal wave. It hit her so hard she missed a step but luckily managed to catch herself on the railing. She stood in the staircase for a minute as realization crept over her. The presence she felt in her dream was the same spark that she had sensed on Zygeria.

Except something was wrong. First, the Youngling was nowhere to be seen in her vision and she’d never leave that child behind. And second, it hadn’t been on Zygeria. She remembered the slaver’s planet clearly and it hadn’t looked like that. Ahsoka doubted it had changed that much in the span of two years. But one thing was certain: that Youngling was in danger. Ahsoka had to figure out how to find them as soon as possible.

She walked down the last remaining steps of the staircase and grabbed a glass of water. As she was leaning against the sink, her gaze fell on Jynna’s door. She pressed the button on the opening panel and the metal door slide open. Ahsoka had no idea how Jynna was able to sleep through pretty much everything. She herself had trouble keeping both eyes shut at night, but the reasons of her insomnias were rooted were deep: no matter how hard Ahsoka tried, her Jedi training and the ghosts of her past kept haunting her.

The Togruta looked at the sleeping Twi’lek. Jynna was wrapped in three different blankets and next to her head there was an Ewok plush. Ahsoka knew that Jynna didn’t sleep with cuddly toys. It had simply fallen from the shelf above the bed because of how much Jynna moved in her sleep. Ahsoka smiled as she looked at the person she now considered her younger sister. She never thought she’d have someone like that. She never thought she’d have a boyfriend. But she’d never thought she’d someday be on the run either.

After a few seconds, she left the room. Jynna didn’t even stir, probably dreaming of colorful birds and beautiful landscapes. Or food, because once she had spent a full hour disturbing Ahsoka while she assembled a droid, telling her about her dream in which she swam in chocolate.

Ahsoka didn’t manage to go back to sleep, so instead, she spent the rest of the night tinkering in the workshop on some long-forgotten projects. She also played Sabacc with Daisy and lost more times than she won. When the sun rose, she prepared breakfast and left for a run around the village. She never did that, but the day appeared to be nice and she needed to clear her head from the night’s dream. When she was back, she hopped in the shower. Jynna was up by the time Ahsoka came out of the refresher. But the Togruta didn’t waist anytime and after telling the Twi’lek about her dream, she went to see Old Hoody.

Ahsoka wasn’t surprised to see the Bothan already awake and getting on about his day. She told him about her doubts as she stayed in his small living room. His house had only the bare necessities, but that was fine with the former Master. He made some tea and offered her eucalyptus flavored biscuits as she sat on the leather worn couch. She wondered when he found the time to bake so many biscuits but didn’t ask. She absently nibbled at one, lost in thoughts, remembering the dream. The more time went by, the less she was able to let it go. It’s the noise of the boiling water that brought her back to reality.

“You should meditate on those visions,” Kai said as he poured the tea. “If what you feel about this Youngling is true, then you are right, you should do something about it.” He sighed. “It is supposed to be our duty to watch after the next generations. But now, there is no Order to watch after the children of the Force. No one will be able to protect them.” He lifted his head and looked at Ahsoka intently. “So if you manage to save at least one, it would be a great thing.”

Ahsoka stayed a while longer, until she could drink her tea without burning herself. Old Hoody gave her a bag full of biscuits. Then she went knocking on Max’s door. Or rather she threw stones at his window. Max only reluctantly opened his window after the third stone. He looked upset and hadn’t bothered putting a shirt on. Ahsoka didn’t know if he was wearing pants because she only saw his torso in the window frame but she didn’t linger on that thought.

“What is it?” he asked with a gruff voice.

“Got a job for you. Well, sort of,” she replied, crossing her arms on her chest and still holding the bag of warm biscuits in one hand.

“Come in,” Max said as he motioned for something behind his back that Ahsoka took for his door. She nodded as he lowered the tilted shutters.

Ahsoka entered Taii’s saloon once Max unlocked the door and she joined him in the kitchen. There was a small door under the stairs behind the bar counter and she had never been there before. She had sometimes seen it open during their parties but it was the first time she was actually inside. It seemed that every cooking device possible was crammed in this cupboard-size room. She and Max could both stand up in the small kitchen, but there was no place for a third person. No wonder Taii was the only one who usually got in there, Ahsoka thought.

Max made some coffee. He had put a shirt on and had pants but was barefoot. When he offered her a cup, she politely refused.

“I won’t be long,” she said as he stifled a yawn and brushed his fingers through his thick dreadlocks. They reached the middle of his shoulders now. “I’m still working on it, but I’ll need your help to find this Youngling I’ve told you about before…” She explained her dream and fears and Max listened only half-awake. He choked on his coffee when she mentioned the Zygerian.

“Are you crazy? You want to go to Zygeria?”

“No. My vision didn’t take place on Zygeria. That’s one of the reasons why I need your help. I think the place in my vision is somewhere in the Hutt space, the deserted tropical kind of planet. You know this part of the Outer Rim better than anyone here! I need you to help me determine where we have to go.”

“You said ‘one of the reasons’. There’s more?” Max asked, leaning against a very high-tech fridge. Ahsoka nodded again.

“I’ll need backup. That wasn’t just a walk in the park. What happened in my dream was a full-on fight with the local authorities.”

“How can you be sure what you saw will really happen?” She threw him the ‘you already know the answer to that question’ look and he sighed. “Jedi instincts? Got it.”

Ahsoka then thanked him and said she’d be back once she’d have more clues. “Oh and Old Hoody says hi,” she told him before putting the bag of biscuits in his hand. She didn’t take them back despite his protests and walked out of the kitchen. Taiilyrra was coming down the steps at that time. She was yawning and the shirt she was wearing, which was Max’s, was unevenly buttoned. The Chagrian acknowledged Ahsoka’s presence with a nod and a gentle squeeze on the shoulder on her way to the kitchen. Since their argument, that was the way they acted around each other. With confidence but still a bit of distrust. It was almost as if one was keeping an eye on the other, for everyone’s sake.

It took Ahsoka a couple more days to figure out where her vision would take place. Max found the place thanks to her details and after a week, they came up with a plan.


	38. Rorak - Part 1 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 6 months and 1 week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 3 months and 1 week on Nar Shaddaa / 10 months and 1 week after Order 66 (Year +1,1)_

Ahsoka gritted her teeth and said nothing to Max. She did shot him an angry look though, to which the smuggler simply shrugged. It had been his idea, he wouldn’t say it hadn’t been, but he still thought it was the best idea he had ever come up with. He quickly looked at the whip attached to his belt and pushed Ahsoka forward with a look that said ‘I’m sorry.’

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and started walking, entering the slave market place of Rorak, one of the rare places on the planet that wasn’t entirely industrialized. Sure, most of the planet was, but there was a whole old district very similar to one of Tattoine’s villages. That was where they had chosen to land the ship, since there weren’t too many cameras. R2-KT had stayed on the ship, forced to by Ahsoka. The Togruta wanted their escape plan to be ready. She just knew out of experience that what they were about to do wouldn’t go as planned. Missions like this always went south, especially with Anakin. She bit the inside of her cheeks for thinking about her old Master. That part of her life was over, she had to get over it.

Max sensed she was lost in thoughts, so he grabbed her by the arm, supposedly to prevent her from colliding with a particularly large Devaronian, who also had a whip. He was leading a dozen female Twi’lek and yelled at them to get moving otherwise he would lose his spot. Ahsoka thanked Max silently for bringing her back to reality.

“So, where is it?” Max whispered, taking advantage of a sudden jam in the crowd. He was talking about the ‘spark’ Ahsoka had felt all those months earlier. It’s only after her vision that she had known specifically where, or rather had a good idea about an area, Max had provided her with the actual location. Taiilyrra lent Ahsoka the purple dress she was wearing, although the Togruta had no idea where the Chagrian had gotten such a dress. Not that she really wanted to know so she didn’t ask.

Jynna has provided the silver jewels around her lekku and wrists, even her necklace. Turned out that her mother had a lot of those in her jewel box, although Jynna never had the guts to either get rid of them or sell them. Ahsoka had refused everyone else’s help on Nar Shaddaa, because the less people came along, the quicker their escape could be. And Max was actually the only one that could play the role of the slaver without looking too suspicious. A Wookie, a Chagrian, a Togruta, a Bothan or a Twi’lek were usually the ones with collars not with whips.

Ahsoka tried to focus in the dense crowd, to ignore all the noises, breathing and chatter, sometimes yells and whip slashes, even whimpers of fear or pain. She could feel the spark through the Force, it had grown severely stronger since they arrived on the planet and every step they took inside the covered market brought them closer. “Close, although I don’t think it’s in this market.”

Max frowned as they started to move again, walking by the stands on the left side of the wide marker. The whole place was shaded by brown worn sheets like inside a tent. People were everywhere: the slavers had their designated places where they had set their slaves like merchandise. The whole thing made Ahsoka sick but she swallowed her hate and disgust. She had a mission; the life of that child depended on her.

They walked past a couple of human females sold to a very fat Hutt and Ahsoka ducked her head. She didn’t recognize it, but she didn’t want to risk it. Max pushed her to make it look more real and Ahsoka swallowed hard, feeling her collar around her neck. Of course she could break it at any moment, just like the time they had played that trick on Zygeria.

“There,” Ahsoka whispered when they reached the back end of the market. She indicated a smaller tent with her head, making the jewel on her forehead slid a little bit on her orange skin. Max nodded and grabbed her by the arm, leading her inside it. Two guards waited next to the entrance and they simply nodded at Max after looking the Togruta up and down. Max pushed Ahsoka inside, a little too roughly for his liking but he had to play his part.

Inside this tent, things were different. There were a lot less people and they were all first class scum. They weren’t just some fat Hutts looking to buy a new dancer for entertainment. Hot deals were made in that place. The only slaves Ahsoka saw were fellow females and she immediately realized that all were beautiful and well dressed. _The pearls of the market_ , she thought.

“Dromellia!” someone suddenly yelled behind their backs, making them turn towards the deep gruff voice. A Zygerian was closing in, his arms open wide as if to hug Max. Ahsoka shuddered when she realized it was the same Zygerian that had pursued her in her vision. She also felt the spark getting closer, its Force signature pulsing stronger as if it was feet away from them.

“Zelko! What a surprise!” Max said in return. He seemed to know the guy and shook his hand. The Zygerian’s other hand held a chain which was attached to someone behind him that Ahsoka couldn’t see.

Three Twi’leks walked past them and were stopped by a human with dark hair and nasty scars. The Weequay leading them immediately started negotiating. He reminded Ahsoka of Hondo. Next to them, a Nautolan female was sold to a Zeltrosian, probably to end up as a sex slave. Unfortunately, Ahsoka couldn’t get all the slaves out. No matter how hard she hated herself for being so selfish, she only came for the spark.

“Looking to sell this one?” Zelko asked, pointing at Ahsoka with his thumb. The Togruta realized that deals in this tent were made between people who almost bumped into each other. There were no stands, people just walked around, as if they were showing off brand new stallions. “Cause she looks a pretty fine stock to me!”

“Don’t worry, I had my fun time with her, now I need some money,” Max grinned and placed his hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. The Togruta didn’t smile or react although she was disgusted by Max’s words. But she knew he had to look and sound convincing.

“I knew you were a smuggler but to get into the slave business, you’ve got to have some guts, kid!” The Zygerian laughed.

“No more than flying through an asteroid field with a cargo of explosives! What can I say: times change and I’ve got to adapt. I follow the tide. You know that I’m always selling what has the greatest profit.”

The Zygerian nodded. “Well, what’s your price for her?”

Max grinned more and his hand went down Ahsoka’s body, from her shoulder to her knees without once touching her. “She’s top class, Zelko. The best female you can get around here. Trust me, I checked on my way here.” He winked. “I’m not sure you can match my price.”

“Try me. I’ve been looking for a Togruta female since I got this miniature model. I’ve grown fond of them, you know?”

At that moment, he pulled at the chain in his hand and brought the child that was attached to it. Ahsoka’s heart skipped a beat but she did her best to hide it. The spark she was looking for was right in front of her. It was a young Togruta girl of no more than six years old. Her dress was plain and simple and no cuts or bruises could be found on her bare arms. She was holding a gourd and gave it to the Zygerian when he asked for it. After a few gulps, he handed the drink pouch to Max who drank and did his best to swallow, despite the strong level of alcohol. Then Zelko threw the girl the gourd.

Ahsoka couldn’t detach her eyes from the girl. Her orange skin was a lot paler than her own and her white face markings were different: she had four aligned diamond shaped dots on her forehead and a wide full circle around each eye, a little like Master Shaak Ti. Except the fact that a white line rolled on each cheek from the circle, down to her chin as if it were tear marks.

The girl’s montrals and lekku were another story. They were light grey with dark pink stripes that were almost magenta. Of course, they were short, so short they just reached a couple of inches under her chin. Her left lek was heavily bruised and was turning black on the tip. Seeing this made Ahsoka’s blood boil in her veins but the sight of the girl’s face broke Ahsoka’s heart. She couldn’t tell which color her eyes were because she simply couldn’t see them since they were hidden behind a band of fabric.

 _She’s blind_ , Ahsoka thought.


	39. Rorak - Part 2 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 6 months and 1 week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 3 months and 1 week on Nar Shaddaa / 10 months and 1 week after Order 66 (Year +1,1)_

Max seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Ahsoka because she saw the flicker of pity in his eyes before a cold mask appeared on his face and he was back in his role as a slaver. He had to maintain his cover and so did she. That’s why she didn’t launch herself at the child and hug the life out of her. Ahsoka had to resist to consol the child, tell her everything would be ok, that they’re going to get her out of there. Because she had just decided they would do that. First because she wished to no one to be a slave, second because this child was no more than five or six years old, and third because she was Force-sensitive.

The more Ahsoka looked at her, the more she realized the child was aware of her surroundings. She turned ever so slightly towards the noises, when people moved around her and she heard the rustle of fabric. She smelled all the different fragrances of perfumes the slaves were forced to wear and the sweat of bodies. She felt the tingling of the chain around her neck and every pull the Zygerian exerted on it. She felt the cold freshness of the shade that the tent provided. But Ahsoka also realized that the girl was using her montrals to feel the vibrations and have a good idea of the layout of people and things around her. Ahsoka just knew the girl could do it, because when the Zygerian started speaking again to Max, the girl waved at Ahsoka, as if she had recognized a fellow Togruta.

That was it.

Ahsoka didn’t even flinch when she kicked the Zygerian in the stomach, her foot colliding with his flesh like butter. He fell back a good meter and dropped the girl’s chain in surprise. Her action might have been reckless and rash, rough around the edges even, but Ahsoka didn’t care. She had to get that child away from here and she had to do it now. Besides, Max’s negotiations were leading nowhere.

As much as Ahsoka hated slavers and wanted to help every single slave that could be found in this market, she couldn’t. But she could still do something for the ladies in this smaller VIP tent. As Max took out his blaster and started to fend off the guards that entered the tent, she used the Force to destroy all the shock collars around the ladies’ necks, including her own which wasn’t working. Then she snapped the chain of the little Togruta girl, but her collar was a different work: she’d need her tools back at the workshop to take it off. So she cut as much of the chain as she could and grabbed the girl’s hand.

“Follow me, little one.”

The girl nodded and Ahsoka motioned for Max that it was time to go. And just about time because more guards were coming. The Zygerian got to his feet, an angry look on his face and Ahsoka noticed the blade he wore in his boot. Her foot slammed against his face, making him fall hard on his back and she took the blade. Then she kicked the whip out of his hand. When he angrily grabbed her ankle and almost made her trip, her knee crashed in his nose, freeing her.

Ahsoka used the blade to cut the side of the tent and yelled to all the slaves to run. It was a crappy shot because there was nowhere to run on this planet. But Ahsoka couldn’t just tell the people to follow her. There was enough place on the _Sneaky_ , sure, but she had just created a movement of panic. If some slaves found their way to her ship, she’d take them to Nar Shaddaa and arrange their further transportations, but she couldn’t just yell the location of her ship for everyone to find.

Tightening her grip on the girl’s hand, she ran out of the tent, dodging the blaster shots that erupted everywhere. Some slaves were using this incident to rebel and were proving to be quite resourceful. A lady Nautolan placed her hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder to thank her and jumped into battle alongside a grey Wookie, using wooden sticks and metal bars to defend themselves against the guards.

Max wasn’t far behind and the three of them started running. Ahsoka grabbed the communicator Max handed her and she took the girl on her back. They swerved into the small city through which they had come, ducking every now and then, the angry roar of the mob behind them. Ahsoka could hear the yells of the Zygerian and knew that they wouldn’t be able to ditch him. Things were chaotic at the market for now, but it wouldn’t last forever. In a few dozen minutes, the guards would take over and calm every one that hadn’t escaped. They had to run for it and leave. After another intersection, Ahsoka entered a small deserted alley and grabbed Max, pulling her with him.

“Go get to the _Sneaky_ with her. Get the ship ready and airborne,” Ahsoka said as she set the girl down.

“What about you?” Max asked.

“I’m going to create a distraction. That Zygerian will be harder to shake off. Besides, Togrutas and Zygerians have a history I’m not ready to forget or forgive.”

Ahsoka’s smile disappeared and she pushed them further into the alley.

“Now go! I’ll distract them! Try to find me once you get the ship in the air.”

Once Max and the Togruta girl disappeared, Ahsoka climbed onto a fruit crate to the closest roof. She saw the Zygerian followed by a whole battalion of guards rushing into the street under her. None of them lifted their head. It was almost too easy. Ahsoka grabbed a small pebble that she found on the flat roof. It was probably some kind of debris but it would do. She took aim and threw the stone on the Zygerian’s head. He almost fell face first into the dust. Ahsoka could already see a bump forming on his hairy head.

He spotted her immediately and blaster shots were fired at her. So she started running on the roofs, jumping from one to the other, just like in her vision. “Daisy? Are you there?” Ahsoka said in her communicator. The droid beeped in response joyfully. “Yeah, I know, I’m happy to hear you too but you’ve got to fire up the engines! Why? Because we’ve got company!” The astromech beeped some more, in frustration this time. “I don’t care you don’t like emergency departures! Move your circuits, now!”And just like in her vision, Ahsoka arrived at a dead end, above that square where countless other slaves were being pushed around by slavers with whips. Just like in her dream, she let out a “Oh poodoo!” and jumped down, landing on the edge of a window and a spread sheet to slow down her landing before ending with a perfect roll once she hit the ground.

The Zygerian and his pals were still chasing her so she scrambled to her feet and ran towards the middle of the square. But she soon found herself surrounded. Guards and slavers were aiming blasters and whips at her from all sides. The slaves stepped back, frightened looks on their faces and whimpers escaping their lips. The situation reminded Ahsoka of the time when she had fled from the Clone prison on Coruscant, right before her trial. But this time, there weren’t sewers to escape through, she didn’t have her lightsabers and people didn’t know she was a former Jedi.

The Zygerian lifted his hand, making all the guards stop shooting. He walked towards Ahsoka, an evil grin on his face. His whip slashed at his side and he whipped the blood from his nose from Ahsoka’s earlier kick. “It’s just you and me, little skug!”

“Bring it on,” she answered, starting to slowly walk in a circle. Not once did she shift her gaze from his face, not even when the whip lashed at his side.

“I’m gonna make you pay, Togruta scum!” he yelled as he brought his whip in the air and slashed at her. She managed to jump to the side, her eyes still focused on him. He slashed again and she avoided his strike again. They did that a few more times before he decided to change his tactics. He kicked the ground and a cloud of dust rose in the air, some of the sand entering Ahsoka’s eyes. The Togruta winced and lowered her guard. His whip snaked around her neck and an electric pulse shot through her body. But it wasn’t enough to make her lose consciousness and once the dust settled, she looked at the Zygerian, panting and whizzing because of the pressure around her neck.

“You have no idea… who you’re messing with…” she whispered, half chocking on her words. She then lifted her hands in the air, but instead of placing them on the whip to take it off, she clenched her fists, destroying all the collars of the nearby slaves. It took the people a few seconds to realize what had just happened but afterwards, they jumped at the guards and the same scenario as in the market occurred.


	40. Rorak - Part 3 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 6 months and 1 week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 3 months and 1 week on Nar Shaddaa / 10 months and 1 week after Order 66 (Year +1,1)_

Ahsoka had never seen slaves rebel like that. Even on Zygeria, her fellow Togrutas hadn’t been that eager and determined to be free. When she had destroyed all the collars, the slaves had jumped on the slavers. Screams erupted everywhere and the slavers, despite their whips and blasters, were outnumbered. Someone had the brilliant idea to block some of the escape routes, preventing the other slavers and guards from barging in on the square.

Ahsoka was still fighting against the Zygerian that had his whip snaked around her neck. She knew she could take him of course. Even back when she was just a Padawan some few years ago, she had been able to overthrow Zygerians with her powers. But she wanted to keep her true nature secret. They lived in a dangerous era and until things changed, she couldn’t risk revealing to the Empire that not all Jedi were dead. She had to survive for the sake of all those that hadn’t.

So she grabbed the whip around her throat and pulled it off, ignoring the burning feeling of electricity through her hands. But she didn’t just throw the whip to the ground. Instead, she pulled at it, catching the Zygerian by surprise as he stepped towards her. That’s when she let go and kicked him in the face. He fell on his back but Ahsoka knew that it would take more than just a kick to knock him out. So she took the whip from his hands and lashed at him. Three times on the chest to keep him on the ground then she snaked the whip around his neck just like he had done to her. She felt the electricity surge through the weapon and watched the Zygerian scream and shake until he stopped moving. Ahsoka pressed two fingers on his neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. She undid the whip and handed it to one of the slavers, a purple female Twi’lek.

When Ahsoka looked at the sky, she saw the _Sneaky_ hovering above one of the roofs, its ramp lowered. The Togruta swiftly climbed back on the roof, careful not to tap in the Force and entered her ship. Several people were waiting inside and Ahsoka looked at all of them while Max was taking off, leaving the planet for good. Ahsoka didn’t like to leave that many slaves behind, but she had no choice: just the three of them couldn’t overthrow an entire slave system and there was certainly not enough space aboard the ship for a rescue mission of such scale.

A dozen slaves were aboard the ship, sitting in the cargo bay. One of them was the female Nautolan from the VIP tent that Ahsoka remembered helping. She thanked her on the behalf of all slaves and asked where the ship was headed.

“Nar Shaddaa. Once we’ll get there, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. You can start over.” Some of the slaves seemed relieved to hear that, but the female Nautolan shook her hand.

“I thank you, but my fight is not over yet. I will do what I can to save the others. Not today, but eventually.” Ahsoka then learned her name was Mareen Stylenaa. She had once been a Senator but when the Empire was proclaimed, she had ended up in the sex slave business because she had dared oppose the Empire. Most of her followers hadn’t been that fortunate and paid their arrogance with their lives. Ahsoka invited them to use the kitchen and rooms in the ship and went to change in her own cabin. When she entered the cockpit, she was wearing the simple tunic and pants she had on Nar Shaddaa.

Max was sitting in the pilot seat, the blind girl next to him in the seat opposite. The Naboo turned to Ahsoka when he heard the door slid open. “So, Nar Shaddaa?”

Ahsoka nodded and stood between him and the Togruta girl, a hand on each seat. “Yes. Once there, we’ll see what everyone wants to do. Some might stay on Nar Shaddaa, others probably won’t. It’s up to them, I won’t impose anything on them other than our current destination.”

“They were the only ones that found our ship. I couldn’t just leave them there…” Max started.

“I know and you did right. We have to help as much people as we can.” Then Ahsoka turned to the girl and Max suddenly rose to his feet before she could say anything.

“We just entered hyperspace. I’m gonna go make some grub, maybe treat our guests’ injuries, see what I can do.” He left without leaving Ahsoka the time to say anything and she silently thanked him. Because she was about to have a lengthy conversation with the fourth spark she had been sensing for months.

“What’s your name, little one?” she asked the girl after sitting in the pilot seat that Max occupied seconds ago.

“Myra. Myra Tylanor,” the girl answered joyfully.

“I’m Ahsoka Tano. But that is supposed to be a secret, so you’ll have to call me either Fulcrum or Scarlett.”

The girl nodded. “Is it because of the scary soldiers in white?”

Ahsoka bit her lips. So the girl had seen Stormtroopers. “Yes. They… they work for the Empire…”

Before Ahsoka could continue, the girl interrupted her, a dark look in her eyes. “The Empire took me my future and my family. I often heard Zelko talk about the Empire and someone called the Chancellor.” Ahsoka remembered the Zygerian’s name was Zelko.

“How long have you been a slave?”

“Two years, I think.”

Ahsoka didn’t say anything after that but her eyes asked the girl to continue, although Myra couldn’t see her. But Ahsoka had the decency to wait for the girl to open up. She’d wait no matter how long, but at that moment, she decided she’d help her with everything she could. It was unfair for someone so young to suffer when they just started their life. Ahsoka took the girl’s hand in one of hers and gestured towards her bruised lek.

“Can I?” The girl nodded when she felt the vibrations and saw Ahsoka’s movement through them. She winced slightly when Ahsoka gently took the bruised lek in her free hand. She started rubbing circles on the healthy parts and it took a little bit of the pain away. But Ahsoka knew it was just temporary and that such heavy bruising would take a good month to heal with the top on the market bacta ointment. She then saw the collar still attached around the girl’s neck and stood up to grab some tools. She proceeded to undo it and the girl spoke during that time.

“I’m from Kiros. One day, droids came and took us all away, placing collars around our necks. I was separated from my parents. I never saw them again. After a few days, I heard that my people had been freed by the Republic and the Jedi, that one of them had been a Togruta.” She suddenly straightened, preventing Ahsoka from taking out a new bolt off the collar. “Ahsoka Tano… that was you! Wasn’t it? You saved my people, our people, from the Zygerians!”

Ahsoka nodded. “I did, but I had a lot of help. Where were you at the time?”

“Already with Zelko. And he changed my collar to something different.”

Ahsoka wanted to apologize that she hadn’t saved the girl before. She wanted to hug her and protect her and tell her that everything would be okay. She didn’t know if the girl’s parents had been among those saved and she also had no idea what happened on either Kiros or Shili. She was afraid it was already swarming with Stormtroopers since it was rather close to Coruscant.

“I saw the white soldiers on Zygeria after the Queen’s death. And then after on every planet Zelko went to. Until we reached Rorak. There were no white soldiers there.”

Ahsoka finally managed to take off the collar and Myra spent the next few minutes just rubbing her neck and smiling broadly. Ahsoka also took off all the girl’s jewels and things that could remind her of the last two years. She left the piece of fabric on her eyes though.

“Do you know what you are?” Ahsoka asked. She could still feel the presence of the girl through the Force.

“I was supposed to be a Jedi.” Ahsoka didn’t hide her surprise but the girl couldn’t see it anyway. “Jedi came to Kiros a few months before we were taken from our home. They said I was Force-sensi-something…”

“Force-sensitive. All users of the Force are, Jedi and Sith alike.”

“They said they’d be back for me, that I’d be taken to the temple on Coruscant and become a great Jedi. But they couldn’t take me straight away because of the war. Everyone was busy. They never came back.”

“I’m sorry. For everything.”

Ahsoka hugged Myra and for the first time the girl cried. Ahsoka held her during her sobs, gently rubbing soothing circles on her small back, biting her lips when she felt whip marks.

“I have to tell you something but can you turn off the lights?” the girl suddenly asked. Ahsoka raised a questioning eyebrow but did as Myra asked and turned the lights of the cockpit off. The only thing providing light was the blue strings of hyperspace outside, to which the girl turned her back, and the buttons of the different controls on the dashboard and control panels.

Myra took off the piece of fabric covering her eyes and looked at Ahsoka. Her eyes were the brightest purple and her pupils were working just fine. “I just wanted to see you,” the girl said. “Like really see you, not just with the vibrations.” She touched her own montrals.

“I thought you were blind…”

“I could be considered blind. My eyes are too sensitive to sunlight. Even artificial light. Something in them just doesn’t work right. So I can only see in the darkness. And I see perfectly in the dark.” Ahsoka just hugged her closer.

“Don’t worry little one. You’ll never be alone again. I promise.”

At that moment, Ahsoka decided it was her responsibility to take care of that child. Not just by training her like the Jedi promised they would but also by protecting her and raising her. That day in that cockpit, in the middle of outer space, Ahsoka Tano became a mother.


	41. Naboo (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year and 9 months after leaving the Jedi Order / a year and 6 months on Nar Shaddaa / a year and a month after Order 66 / 3 months after adopting Myra (Year +3)_

“Why do you always fight Scarlett?” Myra asked.

The little Togruta was perched atop the backseat of their ship, which was one of Lux’s, since the _Sneaky_ or Max’s _Stella_ wasn’t exactly looking like a ship used for the transportation of diplomats. Myra was wearing a yellow but sober tunic and small grey cargo pants that matched her boots. Ahsoka had made her a headdress out of some metal bits she had found. It looked like the one she had but was smaller and lighter. The girl’s bruises had faded in the three months she had been living with Ahsoka and Jynna. Jynna had actually wanted to come on this errand but the plan had to be perfect and there was no place for a young female Twi’lek, beside Taii needed some help at the bar.

Ahsoka turned to look at Myra and the girl smiled when she felt her turn through the Force. Ahsoka had taught her how to see through the Force and, although the little one still had trouble, she was learning fast and, if she focused enough, she could see the room she was in and the people that were there with her. Myra wasn’t wearing a band of fabric on her eyes anymore, instead, she wore a pair of darkened goggles but for the sake of the mission, they had given her a nice dark embroidered scarf just for this trip.

Ahsoka sighed. Myra was only five and didn’t understand a lot of things, but like all children, she asked a lot of questions. Most of which took Ahsoka off guard. The older Togruta female was wearing a rich deep blue dress that complimented her orange skin. She was wearing precious jewels it had taken them weeks to obtain on the black market but Max had managed. She thought for a moment how to formulate her answer and she could see Myra waiting impatiently. Lux was watching them too. He had grown a small beard since the last time Ahsoka had seen him. It was well trimmed and made him look older. Although Ahsoka wouldn’t take him for the kind to wear a beard, it suited him. He was currently wearing his diplomatic suit, as Ahsoka called it. It was one of the professional outfits he wore at the Senate.

“The fighting, that’s all I’ve ever known. I was raised during a war, I grew up during a war and now, although the war is over, there’s still a fight that needs to be fought.”

Myra thought about that for a while but the next moment, Max opened the door. He was wearing the traditional Onderonian guard armor, the same Gigantis the Besalisk was wearing. Usually, Gigantis didn’t wear such pompous and unpractical clothes but this time it was all for the show. Lux’s bodyguard accompanied them on this errand and was actually quite vital for their cover.

Lux rose from his seat and extended his arm towards Ahsoka who took it with a soft smile, allowing him to lead her. Myra was on Lux’s other side and he took her small hand in his. Max and Gigantis closed the rear while R2-KT remained on the ship, waiting for their return. Ahsoka smiled politely at people as they walked through the elegant streets of Naboo in the center of the main city. Tall and impressive buildings surrounded them and Ahsoka sighed.

“Oh, I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed Naboo and its graceful buildings, the gorgeous cities and breathtaking landscapes.” Max didn’t say or show a thing, a helmet covering most of his face, but he was also glad to be home, even if he hadn’t exactly considered it home when he was left with his father. As they walked, Myra pointed buildings and statues, asking what they were for and Lux explained every time. Ahsoka was glad to see he got along with the little one so well.

She could still recall the first time Lux had been introduced to the girl. Whereas the world believed he was on a business trip to a planet in the Outer Rim, he was in fact visiting Ahsoka on Nar Shaddaa. He had knocked on her door and was surprised to see a small version of Ahsoka but with different colors and goggles on her eyes. The girl had asked who he was.

“Senator Bonteri, I’m a friend of Scarlett. Is she here?” he had answered since he knew that was one of the names she went by on the Smuggler’s moon.

The girl simply had said “Stay here, I’ll go get mom,” before disappearing in the entrance, her features a little frightened by the huge four-armed shadow of Lux’s bodyguard.

Lux froze at that moment and his brain struggled to understand what the little girl had just said. She looked a bit like Ahsoka but not entirely. Could she really be her daughter? He hadn’t seen her in what, six months? He knew nothing about Togruta pregnancies but he was fairly certain it was similar to human pregnancies and therefore it was impossible for this girl to be Ahsoka’s daughter. Especially since she was already four or five years old.

Ahsoka had appeared in the doorway next and allowed them to enter. Seeing his confused look, she had explained everything, the mission on Rorak, the slaves, the Togruta Force-sensitive girl… Strangely enough, Lux had accepted the fact that Ahsoka had adopted Myra.

As they strolled through the streets of Naboo, people greeted them politely, thinking they were some kind of noble couple with their little girl because of their clothes and the way they were acting and, of course, the two bodyguards behind them. Ahsoka’s blue stripes on her lekku and montrals had been painted light purple to match Myra’s and her face markings had also been changed slightly by Taiilyrra with a paint of her own making. Ahsoka wasn’t fearful for her life, but Sith lords and Stormtroopers were still looking for Jedi or Force-sensitive people. She was famous before and many still remembered her. It didn’t matter that it had already been a year since, Ahsoka had bitterly learned, what had been named Order 66 by the Chancellor, now Emperor, himself.

“You should come to Onderon sometime. I’m sure Saw would be delighted to see you.”

“How is he?”

“He’s fine. Has been promoted General of the Royal Guard but I hear he’s becoming more extreme every day. He doesn’t approve of all of this.” Lux said that last word while waving at a building that had the Empire’s flag on it. The Empire wasn’t oppressively present everywhere, but Ahsoka dreaded it was only a matter of time. Thankfully, Naboo was rather a peaceful planet and even the Gungans, as great warriors as they were, wouldn’t start a war.

“There’s also someone else who’d like to see you, but that person doesn’t come often to Onderon. You probably would have to meet them on their home planet.”

“And who that mysterious character might be?” Ahsoka asked, amused.

“He’s from Alderaan and you’ve already met him.”

But before Ahsoka could ask him to confirm her suspicion, they arrived in front of an old but neatly conserved building with tall golden ivy adorning the walls. High columns guarded the entrance as well as two guards. Lux had already informed them beforehand of their visit. He approached them with his head held high and his jaw set, making him look very serious.

“I am Senator Bonteri of Onderon and this is Ashla Roshti, the daughter of Governor Roshti of Kiros, and her own daughter. We have come to pay our respects to the late Senator Amidala of Naboo.”

Ahsoka played her part and smiled. With Lux, they had discussed everything before and created their back-story, using the knowledge they had of the galaxy before the Empire. An envoy came to greet them and led them through the building which looked like a sanctuary on the inside. Max and Gigantis were forced to leave their weapons but their role wasn’t questioned. They moved slowly at the rear like the bodyguards they were supposed to be.

When they arrived in front of the room where Padmé’s tomb was, the envoy left them after opening the door. He remained in the corridor with Max and Gigantis. Lux closed the door to let them have some privacy. Ahsoka’s throat was dry. The room was made of grey and white stone and three huge stained windows illuminated the room in blue and gold. On the central one was represented Padmé, her eyes closed and her hands holding a bouquet of white flowers. Unfortunately, Ahsoka couldn’t be at her funeral but Lux had told her how it went.

Ahsoka approached the tomb that stood in the middle of the room like some kind of massive table. The symbol of the Queen of Naboo was engraved on top of the stone as well as Padmé Amidala’s name, dates of birth and death and her different titles, among them Queen and Senator of Naboo. For long minutes, Ahsoka just stayed there, her two hands pressed against the stone as if this simple contact might wake Padmé up. She still remembered the last time she had seen her, two years ago, right after she had left the Jedi Order. She had promised to visit but hadn’t come back, not even once.

“I am so sorry, Padmé,” she said, her voice breaking. Lux took Myra on his knees as he sat near the door, whispering in the girl’s ear (or what was the equivalent of ear for a Togruta) why Ahsoka was crying and who the great Padmé had been. “I am sorry I was not there to protect you when you needed me, I am sorry I wasn’t there to protect your children, I am sorry I couldn’t save Anakin. I am sorry I didn’t visit, I am sorry I didn’t give you recent news. I am sorry I didn’t attend your funeral. I am sorry I wasn’t as much of a sister as you were for me.”

She fell to her knees but her hands stayed on the stone and her forehead rested between them, pressing against the cold material. “I am sorry I couldn’t do all of this and that I failed you.” She cried for a good minute or more, Lux couldn’t really tell. Myra had actually taken her scarf off but put it back on quickly, though she had managed to get a good look at the place. The girl remained quiet and although she didn’t understand exactly who Padmé had been, she understood that she was gone and that she had been very important to Scarlett.

Ahsoka sniffed one more time before wiping her tears. “I promise, I will do everything I can to protect your children. I swear on the Force.” She rose to her feat and caressed the stone next to the engraved name.

“I will protect and carry your legacy, my dear friend.”

She then asked Lux to check her makeup and they left. Max saw that she had cried but didn’t say anything, still playing his part. They got back to the ship safely and Lux told more stories about Padmé and what an amazing Queen and Senator she had been. They stopped on Tatooine and left Lux’s ship. Ahsoka kissed him goodbye before they boarded the _Stella_ and headed for Nar Shaddaa.


	42. Nar Shaddaa - Part 8 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 9 months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 6 months and a week on Nar Shaddaa / a year, a month and a week after Order 66 / 3 months and a week after adopting Myra (Year +3,1)_

Ahsoka actually didn’t have much time to spend with Myra once she brought her to Nar Shaddaa. An emergency erupted in the nearby city, Hutta Town, where Grakkus lived and now ruled. Some droids had malfunctioned and the local mechanics couldn’t find a way to shut them off. The droids were the kinds that had fought during the Clone Wars and that had been wipped and reprogrammed once the Separatists were defeated. But someone had screwed up and they went rogue and scattered in the city, occasionally shooting at people.

As you might imagine, it was all bad for business and so after two days of hide and seek, Grakkus offered a handsome reward for each droid shut down. Tass’lik and his gang had tried their luck but were caught off guard and most of the Trendoshians ended up wounded and stranded in the filthy streets of Hutta Town without anyone bothering to help them. Max also tried his luck but failed all the same.

And since Ahsoka had a lot of experience dismanteling, shooting and scrapping those kinds of droids, she was called in. At first, she went to help Max and bring him back to the village, like she had promised Taii she would. But she ended up saving all the Trendoshians and destroying the remaining droids. She didn’t use her Jedi senses and the whole rogue droids situation lasted less than a week.

But after that Ahsoka couldn’t still spend much time with Myra, because for starters, the girl was very shy in the beginning and spent the first month cupped inside their house. Then she stayed a while with Old Hoody who taught her how to hide her Force signature. Ahsoka didn’t like the fact that Myra had to learn to do that in order to survive and she was once again sorry that the girl had to live through all of this. Then Max had some upcoming contracts to deal with and Ahsoka helped him out. She even helped Tass’lik in Hutta Town –because he was still forbidden of setting a foot in Taii’s saloon- and they kind of made peace, although she never knew if the Trendoshian would stab her or shake her hand the next time he saw her.

Two months in, Taiilyrra’s father died. The Chagrian wasn’t very close to him since she had moved to Nar Shaddaa, but he remained her father and she wanted to attend his burial. She left with Max and Jynna for her home planet and Ahsoka took care of the bar with Softness, Myra occasionally dropping by but spending most of her time moving around in the village, trying to find her way through the Force and with the vibrations her montrals sent her even if she could see a little with her darkened goggles. When she had been a slave, she had often bumped into things and people, especially since her owner didn’t let her take her time to analyze her environment. But now that she was free, she took advantage of that and trained.

Ahsoka was proud of the girl and told her so every night as they went to sleep, because the little one slept with Ahsoka in her room since nightmares woke her up every night. Three months had passed and after they came back from Naboo Ahsoka could finally take her role as a parent seriously. She didn’t know how to be a mother, but she was determined to raise and protect Myra.

Ahsoka knew Myra had problems and that she would have trouble with a lot of things in the future. She could be considered blind for starters and she was lucky to be a Togruta to have that extra help her montrals gave her. Ahsoka wondered if she would have survived had she been a regular human or a member of any other race. Then, there were the nightmares. Every night, they came and Myra woke up screaming, fearing that the slaver might come to take her back. Sleeping with Ahsoka, rolled in a ball against the older Togruta had become a habit that Ahsoka found hard to shake and just rolled with it. She was happy to spend more time with Myra and discovered interesting things about her every day. Little by little, the girl opened up and happened to be one of the most joyful and smiling people ever.

Sure, their life was far from being ideal. But at least, Ahsoka got to see Myra smile more and more. And whenever she noticed one of the girl’s unusual habits, she tried to understand where it came from and help her erase the haunted memories of her past life.

She noticed that Myra was very careful with space. When she walked with Ahsoka, or Jynna or someone she really trusted, she allowed herself to pay less attention to her surroundings, occasionnaly sliping and falling. And she smiled every time she scraped her knees or bruised her toes. But when she was walking alone or without someone she trusted, she was very careful and kept a fair distance from people and things, approaching them only if she had to. That started to change more and more through the weeks as Myra became more comfortable moving around using her montrals and the Force. She even started climbing and almost gave Taii a heartattack when the Chagrian once found her sitting on the writing “ _Taii’s saloon_ ” above the entrance at fifteen feet above the ground.

After three months of living on Nar Shaddaa, Myra was running everywhere, occasionally bumping into things and people, but mostly doing fine. She loved to run errands for everyone, since it allowed her to spend her neverending energy and people didn’t mind letting her help them out because she was the most innocent and sweetest thing that there was on Nar Shaddaa.

Ahsoka had also noticed that the girl chose her clothes very carefully now that she had more than just one dress and that she could fully grasp and enjoy the concept of property. It had been very new to her after she was freed because she had never owned anything in her life, had never even known that someday she would be allowed to own something. Jynna had given her her old child clothes that her late mother had kept in boxes. Myra was pleased to be able to choose among so many different things and it happened a few times that the girl would suddenly change during the day because she wanted to wear all her new clothes at once. But she was always very specific about what she wore. She liked pants more than dresses, that is, until she discovered that a large tunic torn on the sides with a belt at the waist was a very cool thing to wear. She basically needed things that didn’t stick to her skin and so she rarely wore sleeves. She never wore necklaces or clothes that covered her neck. She wasn’t very fond of bracelets either.

But she loved hats and headdresses. Whenever she found a nice pearl or something shiny, she would attach it to a string and wrap it around her montrals or lekku. Most of the time the things fell and she never found them, but she didn’t care much since she used pretty much everything shiny and she found a lot of things to attach to her head. She also loved hats but it was difficult to find a hat with holes for her montrals although hers weren’t as tall and pointy as Ahsoka’s.

Ahsoka had also told the girl her real name and the story of the Jedi, knowing that the girl was old enough to keep it a secret. Besides, she would have been a Jedi herself, so she deserved to know.

Myra had trouble with a lot of other things but eating was probably the biggest issue. The girl never ate much as if thinking she wasn’t allowed to eat more than the minimum she was accustomed to. She also ate very fast, in a matter of seconds as if fearing her food might be taken away from her. It broke Ahsoka’s heart to see her like that, so she tried to reassure her to slow down, promising that no one would take her food away and that she could eat as much as she wanted. But it was a slow process and it probably would take her a lot of time to get rid of that nasty habit, but Ahsoka had hopes. The best way to make her slow down though was to make her talk. As it turned out, Myra was very talkative and had always something to say. In fact, she seemed to have made it somekind of life goal to always explain in details everything she saw and heard. Taii didn’t complain because she got an extra passive and unaware spy, but Ahsoka tried to tell the girl that people didn’t need to know everything in details. The good thing was that, it didn’t matter for how long Myra spoke; she never talked about Jedi or the Force unless they were truly alone and she saw that Ahsoka was rather cheerful and would answer her questions.

* * *

 

When Ahsoka woke up, she immediately felt something warm against her side. Smiling, she realized it was Myra. The girl was rolled in a ball, her head touching Ahsoka’s side, her montrals barely cupping Ahsoka’s hips with their small frame. Just like a Tooka, she was making no noise while she slept. Ahsoka was glad that this night, the nightmares didn’t come. She closed her eyes again, but Myra stirred and actually woke up.

So they both decided to start their day. Myra blinked a few times and closed her eyes, making her way to the nightstand to put on her goggles. The shutters just above Ahsoka’s bed were mostly shut, only a small ray of sunlight was coming through but it was enough to upset the girl’s eyes. Myra was the first to go to the refresher every morning since the day she had discovered the miracle of running water and even better: hot water. So every morning, Myra went to pee and wash her montrals and lekku since it was quite hot and dusty on Nar Shaddaa despite the cold weather in other places of the galaxy (Lux had complained about the cold on Coruscant).

Ahsoka walked down to the kitchen during that time after changing into everyday clothes and opening the shutters in her room. She cut some fruit open and poured Bantha milk into three glasses. She then knocked on Jynna’s door and even opened it, but the Twi’lek simply groaned and buried herself deeper under the covers. Ahsoka smiled and let her sleep. When she walked back into the living room that was the kitchen at the same time, she was greeted by something small and furry bumping into her legs. She looked down and saw Myra wearing something brown and thick.

“Roar,” growled the girl. “I’m a Wookie, roar!”

Ahsoka laughed. In the last few days, Myra had been making all sorts of hats and masks that she used to mimick people. This one was probably made for Softness. Myra put the heavy mask on the couch and sat at the table. She gulped down her glass of blue milk and caught Ahsoka’s stare when she reached for a Jogan fruit. Thanks to her goggles, she could see a little bit in dimly lit places and that was the case of the kitchen. She smiled sheepishly and took the fruit but ate it slowly. Ahsoka nodded and resumed her breakfast. Jynna joined them fifteen minutes later. Since the girls didn’t have anything better to do during the day, they agreed to help Ahsoka work on her ship. If she wanted to go to farther systems like Alderaan or Onderon, she’d need to upgrade the _Sneaky_.

Jynna was as talkative as ever, despite what had happened with Bane or Tass’lik. And Myra was probably picking up from her since she considered her as the older sister that she never had. The girls were very close and Ahsoka was glad they got along well. She was laying inside the _Sneaky_ , in the living room, tweaking with some cables, repairer goggles on her face when Jynna suddenly burst in.

“We’ve got to adopt a pet!” she said, a bright smile on her face. Myra was not far behind.

“A pet? What kind of pet?” asked the little Togruta girl, who was wearing a torn yellow tunic –she seemed to like the color very much- before sitting down next to a chair wheras Jynna sat on the chair and occasionally handed Ahsoka tools.

“Something quite small but cute. Maybe a Kowakian monkey-lizard or a Lothcat. Or maybe a Convor!”

“What’s a Convor?” Myra asked innocently.

“It’s a small bird, with gold and green feathers. And they have a long serpent-like tail.”

“They were quite popular during the war,” Ahsoka piped in. “I remember, you could buy a Convor almost anywhere for no more than sixty credits.”

Jynna and Myra both loved the idea and so Ahsoka tought, _why not_? The girls could use that as an opportunity to learn how to manage another living thing, they could learn how to be responsible. Jynna was already good at that, but Myra was too young to have any experience with that kind of things. Besides, Ahsoka had always found Convorees beautiful and having one actually at home would be quite nice.

So once the repairs were finished, she headed to Taii’s bar to have a nice little evening with the rest of the squad, her clumsily assembled family. The girls were already talking with Taii about what fruit juice they wanted to drink while Ahsoka headed to Max’s table. She took her goggles off and placed them above her headdress before sitting down.

“I’ve got to tell you something.”

“Oh?” Max seemed genuinely curious. He lifted his bottle in the direction of the counter. “I suppose Jynna and Myra have something to do with it?”

Ahsoka nodded before lifting two fingers in the air and gesturing at her and Max to Taiilyrra who understood the signal. It had become a routine between them. One finger meant the usual and Taii knew everybody’s preference. But two fingers meant the usual for Ahsoka and for whoever was sitting beside her, this time it was Max. By simply lifting those two fingers in the air, Ahsoka had just bought Max a drink.

“Thanks,” he replied. He had stopped counting how many drinks they had paid each other. “So, about this thing you wanted to tell me?”

Ahsoka gave Max her full attention. “And I’ll also need your help to upgrade my ship, but we’ll talk about that later. Right. The girls. They want to have a pet.”

Max laughed.

“I figured that they’d get you to find them one sooner or later.” He took a sip of his beer.

“How so?”

“I’ve known Jynna for a long time and she usually gets what she wants. And Myra is starting to be just like her, she’s taking her as an example to follow. So, what are you going to get?”

“We’ve settled for a Convor.”

Max smiled. “Nice choice. Although, the Empire makes trade somewhat difficult for people like us, but I could probably smuggle you a bird.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want just any Convor. Thank you Taii,” she said to the Chagrian who then brought them their drinks. The Chagrian winked and walked back to Jynna and Myra who were telling her all about the new pet they were gonna get. Ahsoka took a sip of her Meiloorun liquor and looked at Max. “Besides, I’d like to have a special pet, maybe I’ll find a Convor with unusual feather colors. Or we’ll take a Kiros bird.”

Max nodded and took his new beer once he finished his former one. The evening ended nicely but after two hours, during which they had all been delighted to taste Taiilyrra’s Bantha stew with fresh spices from Kaal, Myra started to doze off. Jynna, who could see how much fun Ahsoka was having, offered to take the little Togruta home and tuck her in bed. Ahsoka agreed and she, Max, Softness, Taii and Kai stayed at the bar for a little afterparty.


	43. Nar Shaddaa - Part 9 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 9 months and a week after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 6 months and a week on Nar Shaddaa / a year, a month and a week after Order 66 / 3 months and a week after adopting Myra (Year +3,1)_

“And then, I was like, _you know what I’m talking about darling, it’s your tail!_ ” Max said before bursting into laughter, nearly toppeling over his chair and falling on the floor of Taii’s Saloon. Softness laughed with him and they were the only ones in the room to understand the joke Max just said.

Ahsoka didn’t pay much attention to them and continued listening to Taiilyrra. The purple Chagrian was sitting on her counter, her legs dangling from the polished furniture that still had alcohol stains on it despite how much she rubbed them. Ahsoka was sitting next to her, on the counter as well and was watching the boys in the corner of her eyes. Max and Softness were getting louder with each pint of ale they drank. It was just one of those nights, a time for parties when they simply enjoyed their lives without caring much about anything else, forgetting about the world and especially what was wrong with it.

Other clients were there as well for the early part of the evening, drinking and playing Sabacc and other famous games from across the galaxy. Ahsoka mostly watched but eventually found herself enjoying Sabacc and Max made it his duty to teach her. Sometime around midnight, long after Myra and Jynna had already went home, Ahsoka took Max’s place around the central table where the cards were laid. Max stood behind her, his right hand on the back of her chair and his left hugging his seventh pint.

Against her were playing a Rhodian that had stopped for the week at the village, visiting Probyji their local weapons dealer, a lost Pantoran that reminded Ahsoka of her friend Senator Chuchi and a Dug that came to Hutta Town to sell spices.

“Okay, so the whole deck’s got seventy-six cards,” Max started. He slurred as he spoke and his breath smelled of alcohol a bit too much for Ahsoka’s liking –she stuck to Meiloorun liquor- but eventually, Ahsoka understood the rules, more or less. Max’s explanations weren’t very clear but after the first five rounds that she lost, she got most of the rules down. She even pulled out a handful of credits, to which the Dug’s eyes widened.

“Where the kriff did you steal those Republican credits?”

“I didn’t steal them, I earned them. Back when there still was a Republic.” She bet those fifteen credits on the next game and managed to win to everybody’s surprise. But she lost the third game and also the fourth although it was by very little.

At the end of the fourth game though, when Ahsoka handed over her credits to the Pantoran who was winning for the first time since the beginning and was glad to have some money to pay the voyage back to his planet, Max smashed his closed fist on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me you were playing regular Sabacc?!”

He seemed really angry and wounded, as if the whole room had sold him to the Empire. He also didn’t seem to notice the confused looks on everyone’s faces, including Taiilyrra’s who wasn’t paying much attention to the games so far. “What did you think we were playing?” asked the Rhodian.

“Dune Sea Sabacc…”

At these simple three words, chaos erupted inside the bar. Ahsoka ducked under a table as a pint, destined to Max, flew past her head. Taii started yelling, she hated when people destroyed things in her saloon. Softness grabbed two men fighting and violently separated them. Max was throwing punches at the Rhodian but since he was so hammered, he didn’t manage to land a single hit and got punched in the jaw three times before he fell to the floor.

“Dune Sea Sabacc my arse!” Yelled the Dug from the top of a table. “Nobody besides Jawas can play that awful version!”

Ahsoka had no idea what he was talking about but it seemed to be a big deal among Sabacc regular players. Max rose to his feet and raised his fisted hands in the air, yelling “It ain’t awful, it’s great! And you can’t understand the rules, ‘cause you’re stupid!” The fight intensified and Taiilyrra shot three times outside. She was standing in the doorway and held the door open with one hand, her blaster fuming from the other.

“Everybody out. NOW!”

No one hesitated and ran for the door. Even Ahsoka followed the tide of people, caught in the moment and thanks to the adrenaline rushing in her veins from the fight she was one of the first out. Max was close behind her and was laughing so loud he was almost covering Taii’s swearing. They didn’t stop once they were outside and continued running through the streets, everyone turning towards their own homes like a swarm of bees. Max and Ahsoka ran to her house and stopped at the door, giggling like teenagers.

“For a drunk, you’ve got some pretty decent running, Jawa-Tooka,” Ahsoka whispered between two breaths, bending forward with her hands on her knees. Her lekku were falling perpendicularly to the ground and were almost touching it. The dark blue stripes seemed almost black in the darkness of the night and her montrals cast horned like shadows on the walls.

“You weren’t so bad yourself, Sabacc newbie!” he yelled and Ahsoka punched him in the shoulder although he barely felt the pain.

“Keep your voice down, the girls are sleeping!”

She looked at the window on the right on the first floor which was Jynna’s. It was still dark and the blinds were open, letting the cool air come in because the climat was particularly hot.

“By the way, where are you sleeping tonight?”

“Well,” Max seemed to think and frowned, even bringing a finger to his forehead as if it might help. “Taii kind of kicked me out for tonight when she yelled so I guess I’ll have to find a box somewhere.”

“Fine,” Ahsoka sighed. “You can sleep on the couch if you don’t snore.” She then opened the door with her keycard and they climbed the stairs as silently as they could, with Max occasionally bumping into the railing. When they reached the living room, Ahsoka peeked into Jynna’s room and saw the two girls curled up around each other, limbs tangled and eyes closed, their chests rising and falling in rhythmic patterns. Ahsoka smiled and closed the door before preparing the couch for Max, giving him a cushion and a blanket.

Max laid down. “You know, about the last time I tried to kiss you during my birthday… I’m sorry I did that.”

She smiled weakly. “It’s okay, no harm done.”

He nodded and lay down, squirming a little until he found a comfortable position. “How can I repay you?”

“It’s alright Max. You don’t owe me anything. My door is always open for family.”

He fell asleep to her words.

The sound of little feet and the bed that sagged a little woke Ahsoka up. The next thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Myra’s face, smiling like the brightest of suns. The girl was already wearing her dark goggles and golden tunic with a matching belt that had pearls hanging at the end of strands of silk. She had attached a red scarf around her montrals and it hung at the back of her head, hugging her back lek gently.

“Come on, Scarlett, the sun is up! So you have to get up, up, up!”

Ahsoka smiled. “Is everyone else up?”

Myra shook her head. “Not yet. Although Jynna said she’ll be cooking in a moment so she might make an effort today. Max is still dying on the couch.”

“He’s dying? How?” Ahsoka rose on her elbows, confused.

“Well, he’s making those weird noises and he’s drooling like he’s been poisoned…”

Ahsoka couldn’t hide her surprise. The little one knew how to recognize the symptoms of most common poisons but didn’t know what snoring was. She just didn’t seem to cease amazing the older Togruta.

“He’s not dying, Myra, he’s sleeping very soundly. He’s just snoring.”

“So he’s alright?”

“Yes. And I’ll be down in a moment.”

It took Ahsoka five minutes to shower and get dressed in the refresher. When she walked into the living room, Myra was poking Max’s cheek with her finger, marveling at how different the snoring sounded when his mouth was more or less closed. Jynna was already cooking and the smell of fried eggs and warm milk filled the room. The breakfast was interrupted by Max that suddenly woke up, yelling “I promise I didn’t steal your money!”

He looked around, confused and shook his head when the girls laughed at the stupid face he was making. He excused himself, went to clean his face in the refresher and came back to eat with them.

“So, what are you planning to do today? Anything interesting?” he asked the three alien females sitting with him.

“I’m gonna play!” Myra said, raising her slice of bread in the air, some jam falling from it in the process, earning her a death glare from Ahsoka. “And Jynna promised she’d come with me to see Old Hoody and maybe we’ll have a stroll around the village!”

“Yes, we’ll go,” Jynna said.

“What about you?” Max asked Ahsoka who had finished eating and politely waited for the others.

“I’m mostly going to work on the ship. It’s a really good model and has more upgrades than any light freighter I’ve ever seen in my life, but it can’t travel to far away systems. I know that no ship can cross the entire galaxy with just one jump, but still, the hyperdrive is lacking power. And it had been slightly damaged during our little crash on Sriluur. I’ll need to buy a more powerful brand new one. I’ve already added extra powercells so I shouldn’t have problems with energy. The shields also need to hold longer if we meet a Star destroyer.”

“You really think they’d destroy your shields that easily?”

“I’ve seen those destroyers from up close, I’ve been on them, kriff I even piloted one! Well, crashed one, but anyway… A few blasts from them and it’s over. And don’t get me started on TIE fighters…”

“Ok, I got it, the _Sneaky_ needs upgrades. Where are you planning on going?”

“Alderaan. There are some people there that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Ahsoka spent the rest of the day building a new keycard for Myra so she would have access to the house. She then bought a stock of blasters from Probyji and hid half in the house and half aboard the ship. Of course, her vibroblades never left her boots that she wore despite the heat.

When Max came back to Taii’s bar in the afternoon, she yelled at him so loudly Ahsoka could hear her when she was outside. In the end, Taiilyrra made Max clean the entire saloon while she repaired the broken tables and chairs with Softness in the back of the bar. But Max didn’t regret one bit the previous evening.


	44. Nar Shaddaa - Part 10 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / a year, 9 months and 3 weeks after leaving the Jedi Order / a year, 6 months and 3 weeks on Nar Shaddaa / a year, a month and 3 weeks after Order 66 / 3 months and 3 weeks after adopting Myra (Year +3,3)_

Two weeks had passed since the Sabacc game night. Ahsoka didn’t think about it at the time, but the next day, she realized Old Hoody hadn’t been there the night of the game which was odd. The old Bothan was an experienced gambler and had proven his hidden talents many times at Taii’s bar. When she mentioned that to him, the old man simply shrugged and handed her a plate full of eucalyptus filled cookies.

“I don’t have to gamble every night.”

“Jynna said you weren’t home when she went knocking at your door for some Bantha milk, since she and Myra wanted some hot cocoa before bedtime.”

Old Hoody seemed a bit embarrassed as if he was hiding something and after a few seconds, he sighed.

“I was helping out a friend in a nearby system. Had to take care of a few things…”

Ahsoka simply nodded without asking more. She respected Old Hoody’s privacy and accepted that he didn’t want to tell her more about it. After all, everyone on Nar Shaddaa had secrets, peple liked their privacy and those that dug their noses into others’ business usually ended up dead the next day in the streets.

Ahoska didn’t mention the Sabacc night ever again. She also didn’t make any comment about the harsh way Taii was treating Max, although she could she that the Chagrian didn’t really mean what she said. Max spent his days on errands, smuggling some light cargo only in the Hutt trade space, making easy money to repay Taii for the damaged furniture. And so the two next weeks flew by without Ahsoka actually noticing.

One day, she was repairing R2-KT in the workshop. The poor droid had been shortcut when they hooked the new hyperdrive on the _Sneaky_ and the whole thing had needed a lot of tweaking that Ahsoka hadn’t finished yet. Ahsoka was only lacking some upgraded shields and canons for the _Sneaky_ to be good to go, well at least good enough to survive a brief encounter with a TIE fighter and to reach Aldreaan in one piece and come back. Myra was somewhere outside, doing Force knew what. The last time she had disappeared like that, Ahsoka had found her on the roof of their house, the girl sitting on the small place above the refresher where Ahsoka had herself spent a few nights thinking when she couldn’t sleep. As for Jynna, she was at the desk in the entrance of the house, ready to welcome clients and do all the paperwork.

While Ahsoka was working on her droid however, a new client knocked on the door. She didn’t hear the negotiation; she had just heard the door open and close. But then there was a knock on the workshop door and Ahsoka put down the tool she was using to replace the burned circuits inside her R2 unit. She took off her protective goggles and placed them on her forhead as Jynna stood in the door frame with someone Ahsoka wasn’t at all expecting.

“Lux? What are you doing here?”

She took off her gloves and set everything down, straightening her tunic and trying to make herself presentable. Lux was wearing civilian clothes that had his family’s crest on them, the light lacework patterns she saw everywhere on Raxus. His Besalisk bodyguard was behind him, his shadow towering them all. One of his six big hands was holding a small box with a red bow.

Lux hugged Ahsoka, a bit too long to pass as simple acquaintances and Jynna smiled when she noticed it. She got out of the house to look for Myra, knowing that the young Togruta would be delighted to see Lux again and would be mad if no one told her he was on Nar Shaddaa.

“I’ve missed you,” he said and she responded the same. “I told you I would come again, so here we are. And I even brought you a gift!”

“Then let’s get upstairs, we’ll be more comfortable in the living room.”

Ahsoka prepared tea and coffee and brought some of Old Hoody’s cookies, saying it was from a friend. Lux tentatively took one and insisted on finishing it quickly but politely refused when Ahsoka offered him another one. Jynna and Myra arrived a few moments later and the Togruta girl squeeled as she jumped on Lux’s lap. She really seemed to like him and Lux also seemed to fairly enjoy the girl’s company. Jynna sat in front of them, while Ahsoka dragged a chair to sit next to Lux. After a few minutes though, Myra decided she wanted to sit on the Besalisk’s lap and she giggled because the poor bodyguard, with his six enormous arms, didn’t know how to sit and what to do not to harm the little girl so tiny on his lap.

Lux then put the box on the small table.

“That’s actually for the three of you…”

As soon as he had said that, Myra and Jynna were opening it, one tearing the bow, the other opening the lid. A meow came from inside and Jynna lifted in the air a small baby Tooka. Its furr was a lot whiter than the furr of the Tookas Ahsoka remembered from Coruscant. It had purple and yellow strips on the tail and on its two pointy ears and its face was as white as snow. Its eyes were grey, almost hollow but they were innocent and cute.

“I’ve heard that you were looking for a pet to adopt…”

“Did Max tell you that?” Ahsoka asked. She couldn’t believe her eyes. A baby Tooka, in her house. And she could see that Jynna was slowly taking a liking to the kitten whereas Myra seemed to have already adopted it.

“I have my sources…” Lux smiled and winked.

“Well, it’s not a Convor…” Ahsoka started.

Myra and Jynna cut her off together. “We’re keeping it!”

Ahsoka tried to explain that a Tooka was very different from a Convor but the girls weren’t listening anymore. Jynna was holding the kitten while Myra was trying to tie the red bow around its neck, as a makeshift collar, but the animal escaped and ran for the only open window in the living room. Before they knew it, it was gone. The girls immediately ran after it, calling for it to wait.

“Well, here goes your gift,” Ahoska laughed.

“The girls will catch it,” Lux said, rather confident.

“You know, I don’t exactly have all this little guy needs…”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I found him in the streets outside the Senate, he had probably been abandoned by his mother. He looked famished. So I took him to the vet and he got checked out and fed. I only kept him for a few days, didn’t want him to get accoustommed to me while he was destined for you.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. Lux blushed and cleared his throat. He wasn’t embarrassed to show his affection for Ahsoka, but he didn’t want to burden his bodyguard with the obligation to watch them. Gigantis hadn’t been present on Raxus the last time Ahsoka had been there only because Lux had given the Besalisk some well-deserved holidays.

They spent the rest of the day talking and catching up. Myra had managed to catch the Tooka but only for a brief moment before the kitten ran for the bushes around the edges of the village. After that, she couldn’t feel it through the Force nor could she sense it with her vibrations so she came home crying. Once they all ate dinner together, they decided to have a drink or two at Taii’s Saloon. Nobody besides the little family and Max knew who Lux was, but as soon as they entered the bar, a frown appeard on Taii’s face. She quickly hid it but, by the small discreet smile that flashed on her lips whenever she looked at the couple, Ahsoka just knew Taii had figured out that Lux was the Senator of Onderon.

They drank ale mostly, just two pints each, Gigantis refused of course. He never drank while he was on duty and Ahsoka respected him even more after learning that. Max spent the evening talking with them, enjoying their company without even once giving out Lux’s identity. To every one else in the saloon, he was Ahsoka’s friend. Even if Jynna once or twice dropped the hint that they were more than that.

At some point, Lux agreed to take part in the evening’s armwrestling competition. Ahsoka was about to mess with Lux a bit with a sarcastic comment, when she felt a small pull on her pants’ sleeve. Looking down, she saw Myra with the saddest look in her eyes. The girl had been like that the whole day, ever since she came home empty handed and it broke Ahsoka’s heart to see her like that. So she knelt in front of the child and placed a hand on her small and fragile shoulder.

“I promise, Myra. Tomorrow we’ll go looking for the Tooka. I’m sure we’ll find it.”

“But it’ll spend the night alone. In the cold and the dark.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Can I tell you a secret?”

The girl nodded.

“On Coruscant, where I grew up as a Jedi Youngling, there were a lot of Tookas in the streets, especially the lower levels. And you know what? There were the fiercest animals down there.”

“So it’ll be alright here?”

“Trust me. If you’ve survived the lower levels of Coruscant, you can survive anything.”

Ahsoka’s smile faded as she remembered the last time she had been there and why. But she shook her head, not wanting to poison her mind with unpleasant thoughts from the past.

“Alright, we’ll go tomorrow. But I want to check one last time. Can I?”

“Of course, do you want me to come with you?”

The girl shook her head.

“Then come back as soon as you’re done. I trust most people on Nar Shaddaa but you never know.” She rose up to look for Jynna, suddenly thinking that Myra might agree to go with the Twi’lek, but Myra was already gone. Ahsoka signed and turned to the wrestling table on which Lux just lost against Max.

“Well, I’ve got to admit, you have a strong grip, Mister Dromelia,” Lux said, raising his hands in defeat. He knew he’d loose, he had never done anything as physical as that. He was a Senator not a warrior. But he couldn’t back down when Max challenged him, not in front of Ahsoka. The Togruta smiled, then laughed and kissed his cheek.

“I know you did your best,” she whispered in his ear.

Max’s wolf whistle got Lux’s attention and he frowned, not liking one bit how the Naboo was behaving in front of Ahsoka. True, he knew he was his friend and would never do anything rude or hurt her, but at the moment, he didn’t like his manners. It was probably due to their previous misunderstood confrontation on Raxus, but with two pints of ale in his system, Lux didn’t see things the same way.

But instead of jumping on the Naboo, like the latter would have done if someone had wolf whistled Taiilyrra, Lux simply placed his hand on one of his bodyguard elbows.

“You won against me, that’s hardly an achievement. How about you try to win against my good old friend Gigantis.”

The Besalisk flexed his six biceps for good impression. Max whitened and Taii walked by, picking up the empty pints and glasses. “I bet you’ll chicken out,” she said to Max, matter-of-factly as if it was the most certain thing in the universe. That motivated Max.

“You’ll only use one hand?” he asked and the Besalisk nodded. And so the two contenders sat down and wrestled.

* * *

As soon as Myra was out of the bar, she headed for the north of the village, where the bushes were the thickest and where she hadn’t dared look much so far. She crouched in front of them and parted the first branches so she could get a better look inside. “Tooka!” she cried, hoping the little animal would show up. The last time she had managed to catch it, it was rummaging through the garbage behind Taii’s saloon. She was thinking about looking there again, when she heard footsteps behind her.

Through the vibrations emanating from her small montrals, she could see that a man was behind her, not farther than five feet. He didn’t seem to be from the village and smelled of alcohol and sweat. A dusty bag was on his shoulder, indicating he was a traveler. His shoes were also pretty worn.

“Don’t trust him!” he said, extending his bony hands towards the girl who fell on her bottom and tried to step back. But when the bushes started poking her back, she couldn’t get farther. “Don’t trust him!”

“Who?” she asked weakly, tears shining in her eyes while trying not to scream.

“The Bothan! He’s dangerous! A traitor to the Empire!”

The weird man took a step closer and this time, Myra screamed. Suddenly, something flew out of the bushes and landed on her head. It stood in the space between her montrals for a split second before jumping again, this time at the man. It latched onto his face and made him step back and scream. He ran away after a few seconds, cursing loudly and disappeared in the general direction of Hutta Town.

Myra stood up and approached the Tooka she was looking for. “Come here little Tooka, I won’t hurt you. I just want to be friends.”

The kitten looked at her with its grey eyes and stood there, frozen like a deer in headlights before it spit and ran away in the village but Myra didn’t pursue it. It had deserved the rest of the night to hide from her since it just saved her. When she told Ahsoka about it, the older Togruta got mad and promised to catch that man but then laughed when she heard about the Tooka.

* * *

Ahsoka woke up to the sound of scratching near her head. She opened her eyes and rose up, but the noise had somehow stopped and she wondered if she hadn’t imagined it. She smiled when she looked down at her bed. Lux was sleeping next to her on her extra cushion. His right arm was sprawled on the bed and reached Ahsoka’s hips, fingers gently brushing against her orange skin. She only wore a bra and shorts whereas he wore a sleeveless shirt and his pants from the previous night that he insisted to keep for the situation to remain decent. It didn’t matter how many times Ahsoka told him that he could sleep in his underwear, but since Myra was also in the bed, Lux had plainly refused. And speaking about Myra, the little girl was sleeping upside down, her legs resting on Lux’s shoulder.

Ahsoka smiled and then she heard the scratching again. It was coming from the half-open shutters next to her head and when she opened the window, she saw the little Tooka. Their faces were so close, the Tooka licked her nose with its small pink tongue. Ahsoka let it come inside. But the kitten hesitated, stepped forward, then back and did that a couple of times, waving its plushy tail behind it before finally jumping in. It quickly skittered on the bed but when Myra moved in her sleep, it climbed back onto the roof of the refresher.

Ahsoka simply left her window open.


	45. Varl (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / 2 years and a month after leaving the Jedi Order / a year and 10 months on Nar Shaddaa / a year and 4 months after Order 66 / 7 months after adopting Myra (Year +7)_

For once, Max didn’t ask Ahsoka where they were going because he had planned it with her. It had been several months since Lux’s visit on Nar Shaddaa and it took almost all of that time for Myra to get the baby Tooka to like her. She had been bitten and clawed so many times that Jynna had stopped counting the peroxide bottles she used to clean the girl’s wounds. But now, the Tooka and the little Togruta were the best of pals.

Also, Max hated more and more the little whiskered devil because he could not stand it peeing in his boots and only his. He was also fairly certain it was Jynna’s idea to call the small monster “Little Max” although Myra claimed the idea was solely hers and fought about that which had become a recurrent argument topic over dinner.

He and Ahsoka had spent weeks preparing their little mission, Myra’s first mission in space. The girl had been roughtly trained by them both –and Old Hoody- during the previous months, both in Jedi technics that she was forbidden to talk about and in hand-to-hand combat. Max also insisted they taught her how to fire a blaster and in the end, Jynna beneficiated from those lessons too. Each girl received a small blaster, Jynna’s being slightly bigger since she could handle the recoil of the weapon and the weight wouldn’t slow her down. Ahsoka had also put her foot down on Myra’s blaster size because the girl was being taught to be a Jedi and was slowly showing preference signs.

Just like Ahsoka, Myra seemed to be more at ease with the fourth lightsaber fighting style, Ataru, which involved a lot of agility and speed. Everytime Ahsoka watched the girl reproduce the movements she just showed her with the biggest stick she could find on Nar Shaddaa, she couldn’t help but remember the praises of Master Yoda. Few Jedi had known that Ahsoka had mastered Ataru at a very young age and had reached a level of mastery that very few masters could in that particular form. This had allowed her to learn Jar’Kai when she was still a Padawan. Although Myra had never seen a lightsaber and was just beginning to grasp the concept of fencing, Ahsoka hoped to introduce her someday to dual-wielding.

And the mission they had prepared was the perfect time to test both the girls’ abilities. Of course, it wasn’t anything big, Ahsoka had made sure of that. Nothing more than a trade between a Klatoonian smuggler from Varl and their team. The _Sneaky_ had a brand new and powerful hyperdrive and two rotative turret guns that she had put on top of the ship. But it still lacked strong shields and that’s what they were getting in space that day.

Max was in the cockpit with Ahsoka, the first chilling with his feet on the control panel that Ahsoka –ever so kindly- told him to take off, while she checked for the twentieth time the coordinates. Putting his feet down, Max sighed. He turned to his right, where Ahsoka was sitting, bent over the control panels and her eyes following the numbers on the screen while she checked the ones she had in the data base in her glove. She had visited Chewie a few weeks ago on Kashyyyk and he had upgraded her gloves, adding some extra features.

“Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be fine,” Max said, hugging his knees to keep his hands busy now that he couldn’t lie back lazily.

“You don’t know that.”

“Hey, there’s always a risk. We all know that, had known it for years. Well, maybe not all. Myra is still unaware of the danger of most things, but she’ll get there.”

“Not too soon I hope,” Ahsoka replied without looking at Max and he sighed.

“Look, all I’m saying is that we’re prepared. The ship is ready, the credits are ready, you and I are ready, Jynna and Myra are ready, and your R2 unit is ready. Kriff! Even that devilish feline is ready!”

Ahsoka smiled and shut off her glove and the screen in front of her before finally looking at Max.

“You’ve got to admit he’s kinda cute.”

Max brought his arms to his chest and pouted, making his chair swing as much as he could with it bolted to the ground.

“Yeah, well his cuteness won’t save him if I catch him taking a piss in my boots again,” he mumbled loud enough for the older Togruta to hear.

Ahsoka just laughed and looked at him carefully for the first time in months. Max didn’t usually take much care of his hygiene, unless he had a date with Taiilyrra, but he was very picky about his dreadlocks and paid attention to them. He had now attached a string of beads to the collection of feathers already stuck in there and Ahsoka smiled when she recognized it as being one of Taii’s bracelets. Max seemed to feel her gaze on him and so he looked at her in return. She had changed since the day he met her on Myrkr –he actually couldn’t believe how fare they had gone from there- and, although she had a woman’s body back then, her curves were more pronounced now. Her face markings were more elongated as if they followed the growth of her face and her lekku and montrals were longer. He himself didn’t pay attention to details like that, but Taii had mentioned Ahsoka’s physical changes to him once, saying she was a Chagrian and a woman and so she noticed that kind of things. So from that day, he looked more closely and managed to see the changes too.

He shifted his gaze to the door when they got out of hyperspace. “I’ll check on the girls before we arrive.” He stood up and put his hands on Ahsoka’s shoulders, gently squeezing. “Don’t you worry, Scarlett, it’s gonna be fine!”

“I still have a bad feeling about this…” the Togruta whispered after Max left.

The Klatoonians’s ship was where it was supposed to be and at the right time which highly surprised Max. He had only met Kithaba, their handler, once and the guy had been fashionably late. But they couldn’t back away now, they needed those shields. Both ships docked once the passwords were exchanged but when Ahsoka and Max entered the dog-like-faced man’s ship, things seemed strange. Kithaba stood in the middle of the hold, one foot raised on a crate with dozen other similar crates surrounding him and his men. Ahsoka only needed a couple of shields, not the whole bunch and she instinctly reached for her lightsabers at her belt but was bitterly reminded that she didn’t have them and that her vibroblades were tucked in her boots. She saw in the corner of her eye that Max had a hand resting on his blaster.

“Kithaba, what the kriff is going on? We settled for half a dozen!” Max said. They had decided he would do the talking since he was better at negotiations especially with fellow smugglers.

“And you’ll have them,” replied the other man, his pale face revealing a pair of canines when he smiled. His arms were crossed on his chest and a blaster was poking out of one of the pockets of his thick jacket. “As soon as you pay double.”

“What?!” both Ahsoka and Max yelled.

Back on the ship, Jynna and Myra were listening through the commlink, huddled together in the cockpit, ready to fly away as soon as Max and Scarlett were back. R2-KT was beeping worringly and Little Max, now settled on Myra’s small head between her still rather flat montrals, hissed as if promising to bite the Klatoonians’ head off.

Kithaba laughed and his men laughed too, weapons dropping but still charged and ready to shoot. “We’ve had a better offer, right boys?” His goons agreed loudly.

Ahsoka was looking for a way out. She had done some research on Varl before coming. She knew it was the homeplanet of the Hutts, before a cataclysm hit it and the fat lizards fled to Nal Hutta. She also knew that the populations that stayed and survived, mostly Twi’leks, Klatoonians, and Niktos were rather isolated people and that they wanted things to stay that way. But she had trusted Max’s contact and he was the only one selling the kind of shields she wanted. Now she regretted no trusting her instinct.

Back on the _Sneaky_ , Myra and Jynna were getting quite nervous. They kept looking at the commlink R2-KT was holding and bitting their lips in anxiety. Until Jynna stood up and pulled out her blaster. “That’s it, I’m going in!” And before Myra could protest, the blue Twi’lek was already gone.

Myra then took Little Max into her arms and sat on the floor of the cockpit. “What am I supposed to do?”

On the Klatoonians’ ship, things were starting to be heated. Max was yelling at Kithaba to tell him who could possibly offer them more, all the while getting redder in the face everytime the Klatoonian laughed, his foot still on one of the crates like the actor of a Holomovie. And he also ignored all the blasters that were raised and pointed at him. Ahsoka on the other hand, didn’t move, her fingers slightly twitching near her knees, ready to grab her vibroblades. She knew that one of them could escape this trap, but only one. If they played it reckless, only one of them would make it out alive. And that was a huge maybe.

And suddenly, a Klatoonian came from the cockpit and handed Kithaba a Holopad. “Good,” Kithaba said. “Our next guests are here!” He turned to his men standing next to the entrance. “Detach us.”

Both Ahsoka and Max yelled again “What?!”

But before any Klatoonian could do anything, Jynna burst into the room and fired. Ahsoka had no idea if the Twi’lek had been aiming, but she shot Kithaba in the shoulder. Chaos followed. Klatooninans hid behind the crates while they tried to shoot Ahsoka and her gang. Max received a shot in his leg, under the knee but it wasn’t enough to put his on the sidelines. Together they managed to fend off most of the Klatoonians, with Ahsoka using the Force to disharm them when no one was looking.

When she turned towards the door leading farther into the ship, ready to yell at Max to grab a dozen crates and run, she realized too late that Kithaba was gone. The next second, the ship detached from the _Sneaky_ and jumped into hyperspace. When Ahsoka had reached the cockpit, not bothering to hide her Force mastery anymore and knocking every enemy against the walls, she grabbed Kithaba by the neck ignoring his wound. She pushed him on the dashboard and pressed one vibroblade against his throat.

“Where are we going? Why did we jump?”

Her voice was hard and cold as a piercing shard of glace.

“You can kill me, it won’t change much. I’m not afraid to die!” he spat in her face.

She placed her second vibroblade between his legs while still holding the other in place on his throat. “Who said I’ll kill you? Maybe I’ll make you suffer first!”

Max came behind her, limping. “Wait Scarlett.” He then stood next to the Klatoonian and leaned on his elbows on the dash, his face closer to the smuggler’s own dog-like features. “You’ve only got one chance here, man, because she’s really going to do it. Trust me. So I suggest you tell us where we’re going to drop out of hyperspace and we’ll let you and the rest of your crew live.”

Ahsoka nodded. “I’m still taking his ship to go after Myra.”

Max nodded and then turned to the Klatoonian who swallowed with difficulty. “We’ll arrive at the other side of Varl. It’s not very far from where we were before, I swear!”

And as soon as he said that, they were out of hyperspace near a greenish planet. Ahsoka pushed herself back and away from the smuggler who immediately massaged his throat and hid his crotch, sending them a dark look. Max ignored him but kept an eye on him. Ahsoka tried her communicator again because she wasn’t able to reach Myra before. But this time, the girl answered.

Max got to Jynna and together they placed the unconscious Klatoonians into life pods before yelling at the still conscious ones to get in them too, Kithaba following suit. Max did take their money and the shields though. He waved them goodbye as the three full pods floated in the distance. Jynna was already putting the previous coordinates in to go back and they entered hyperspace again.

“Myra, where are you? Are you okay?” Ahsoka asked, worried.

The girl’s voice was so faint, Ahsoka had trouble hearing it. It was as if the commlink was in the girl’s pocket or wrapped tight in her hands.

“I’m in the ship, I hid with Little Max in a compartment in the hallway when the white soldiers appeared. R2-KT couldn’t follow us and stayed in the cockpit where they turned her off.”

Ahsoka’s blood froze. Stormtroopers.

“Myra, do you think the ship that boarded the _Sneaky_ belongs to the Empire?”

“I don’t know mummy, but I’m scared…”

And with that, the connexion was broken and Ahsoka could hear Myra no more.


	46. In Space near Varl (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / 2 years and a month after leaving the Jedi Order / a year and 10 months on Nar Shaddaa / a year and 4 months after Order 66 / 7 months after adopting Myra (Year +7)_

Myra stayed hidden for so long she didn’t know how many minutes had passed. She could feel the ship move. She didn’t understand how ships worked yet, but Ahsoka had explained to her that sometimes, a larger ship could bring a smaller ship with it, that they were connected through docking and that this connection could not be broken otherwise people might get sucked into space.

That’s basically how she understood it.

She could also feel through the Force and heard the white soldiers walking by. They had shut off R2-KT, that much Myra was certain of, but they didn’t seem to be damaging the ship. She heard them talk, sometimes understanding perfectly what they said, other times not so much. But she knew they were searching the _Sneaky_. Because a ship like that couldn’t just be flown by a single droid. True, the Klatoonian smugglers’ ship had not been very far from the _Sneaky_ , but the Empire didn’t seem to mind them, as if they had some sort of deal. But of course, Myra was too young and not experienced enough to guess all that. She simply hid in the compartment with Little Max, the Tooka tightly pressed against her chest.

They both remained quiet, their hearts pounding wildly in their chests while they waited and hoped no one would find them. Unfortunately, one Stormtrooper ended up opening their secret compartment. Little Max growled and Myra let him go. The baby Tooka jumped on the white soldier’s head and clawed at his helmet without doing much damage, but it was enough to distract him. The Stormtrooper started yelling and stepped back while his comrade rushed to his aid. That’s when Myra came out of hiding. She bumped into the second soldier in white, making him fall to the ground with a grunt while she bolted for the door. Little Max left the other Stormtrooper’s head and followed the Togruta girl.

They made it past one door, arriving in the holding bay of the _Sneaky_ , when a tall man, with military decorations on his armor that differed from the other soldiers, lifted her off the ground. He held her by her wrists and didn’t even bulge when she kicked him hard in the ribs.

“Let me go!” she yelled, showing her little pointed teeth, her dark goggles still on her head, shielding her eyes.

But the Stormtrooper simply laughed.

“What do we have here?”

Little Max jumped at him but the soldier pushed him back, raising his blaster in his direction. The cat simply growled and the hair on his back stood threateningly. But it didn’t impress the Stormtrooper at all who fired. Luckily, Little Max dodged and bit his leg, managing to find a soft spot between the pieces of armor. The soldier in white yelled in pain, although it wasn’t that painful and he fired at his feet. Little Max let go and jumped back. He hissed and ran out of the ship, crossing the landing platform. Myra could hear the other Stormtroopers there yelling in surprise. A few boxes were dropped and blaster shots fired but in the end, she heard them say that the Tooka had managed to disappear into the vents of the Empirial ship.

Myra couldn’t focus on Little Max though because the Stormtrooper holding her stunned her and all she could see was black.

 

* * *

 

When Ahsoka’s ship came out of hyperspace, she immediately noticed the Empirial ship. It looked like a big frigate, but it wasn’t a Star Destroyer. It was probably around three times the size of the _Sneaky_ , which explained why her ship was nowhere to be found. At least, that’s what she hoped happened because she couldn’t bear to think that the _Sneaky_ , and especially Myra on board, had been turned to stardust.

She could still feel the girl’s presence through the Force and it reassured her to feel it getting stronger as the Klatoonians’ ship approached the Empirial frigate.

“How many Stormtroopers are there in this?” Jynna asked, looking at the frigate with frightened eyes.

“Too many,” Max said.

He seemed particularly worried and for once, Ahsoka saw dread in his eyes. The odds were very much against them and yet they couldn’t just abandon Myra to her tragic fate.

“We’re gonna get her, Scarlett. We just need to figure out a plan.”

And so a plan they figured out. They had to hurry because the Klatoonians’ ship had been spotted by the Empire the moment it had come out of hyperspace. The fact that it didn’t shoot them when they approached only proved Ahsoka’s theory that Kithaba had a deal with the Empire. It didn’t take them much time to dock but as soon as the bay door was lowered, Max started negotiating with the soldiers in white. Of course, the Stormtroopers quickly figured out that Max was not Kithaba and so they started shooting. By the time they opened heavy fire, Max had taken off in the Klatoonians’ ship with Jynna.

As for Ahsoka, she had slipped out of the ship when no one was watching and so she started looking for the younger Togruta. She didn’t know what had happened to the youngling, how she was, what the Stormtroopers had done to her or if they even knew that she was Force-sensitive.

She had to get her out of there and fast.

It didn’t take Ahsoka long to disappear into the ship, which wasn’t as big as she had feared. She didn’t know that kind of ship by heart but she had been on enough of them to be able to find her way. She progressed through the vents, avoiding being seen and eavesdropped on the officers. Two were talking about a young Togruta female they had captured. Ahsoka froze when she heard the words “mediklorons” and “Lord Vader” in the same sentence.

She didn’t know who that Lord Vader was but she had heard things about him at Taii’s bar. A rogue pilot mentioned him once, saying he was a powerful Sith Lord. Ahsoka had never met him in person and had never truly felt him through the Force. She didn’t know what to expect other than the fact that he was probably very powerful and frightening. But what scared her more was the fact that they planned on making Myra do the mediklorons’ test. Which was the test done by every youngling that was Force-sensitive to determine how strong they were with the Force. If the Sith were interested in knowing Myra’s Force strength, if they even knew she was Force-sensitive, they would hunt her down.

Ahsoka couldn’t let that happen.

Her heart was beating so fast in her chest as she stealthily looked in the ship that she thought it would burst out any second. She was entirely focused on finding Myra and so she didn’t think about Max and Jynna. Their job was finished and they were out of that area of space, hopefully waiting in the nearby system Max and Ahsoka had settled for. And Ahsoka didn’t know in what shape was the _Sneaky_ and if she would even be able to take off. But first, she needed to find Myra and find her she did.

The little Togruta girl had been imprisoned in a cell on the lowest floor. Ahsoka easily knocked out with the Force the two Stormtroopers standing guard. She was getting better with the Force since Old Hoody was still teaching her a few interesting tricks from time to time. Every day she discovered something new, wether it was with the old Bothan or Myra herself.

As soon as the door opened, Ahsoka threw herself inside. The next thing she knew, Myra was clutching her tunic, crying her eyes out.

“Mommy! I was so scared!”

She kept crying like that for a whole minute while Ahsoka patted her back and left soft kisses at the top of her head, between her ever so small montrals. She did let a single tear of relief spill from the corner of her eye though.

“Let’s go, my precious.”

She grabbed the girl’s hand, checked if her goggles were shielding her eyes and they went to find the _Sneaky_.

“Do you know where Daisy is?” Ahsoka asked Myra as she was helping the girl climb down from the vents in a corridor.

“I think she’s still on the ship. I didn’t see the soldiers in white take her out.”

Ahsoka wondered about that for a moment. She didn’t say anything as to not upset the young Togruta, but the logical thing to do would be to take the droid out and wipe its circuits. Ahsoka hoped with all her heart that Myra was right but if she wasn’t, she’d have to make a difficult decision. Either leave the R2 unit behind and escape with Myra while she still could. Or look for the droid and risk losing Myra all over again.

The _Sneaky_ was still on the lower landing platform, hidden at the end of the hanger. Just a dozen Stormtroopers were buzzing around like bees, some taking out cargo, others talking among each other while checking out the ship’s defenses. Of course Ahsoka’s ship had been customized, she needed her very own and personal ship to perfectly suit her needs and nothing in the market suited her like the _Sneaky_ did.

Climbing aboard without being seen appeared to be too much of a challenge and so a few blaster shots were exchanged. But Myra was picking up on her training quickly and it was in fact the best way for her to put her newly acquired skills to good use. She mostly evaded shots and didn’t get hit once. One of the Stormtroopers reached for her arm to stop her and Ahsoka was already jumping to kick him in the face, when Little Max appeared out of nowhere and bit hard on the extended hand. Yelling in genuine pain, the soldier pulled his hand back, only to get kicked in the nose by Ahsoka’s lithe form. She then grabbed Myra under one arm like a sack of potatoes, grabbed Little Max under the other, and headed for the bridge of her ship, kicking out Stormtroopers on her way.

Thankfully, R2-KT was in the machines room, doing some repairs. The droid had been fixing broken things on the _Sneaky_ while the Stormtroopers ordered her to disable the hyperdrive. Of course, Daisy didn’t listen to them and thanks to her, the _Sneaky_ quickly took off.

Ahsoka and her crew reached the nearby system where Max and Jynna were waiting for them. Myra cried the whole way back to Nar Shaddaa and everyone was happy that she was alright. In the end, the Stormtroopers didn’t have the time to make her do the mediklorons’ test but they had seen Ahsoka’s face. Maybe they didn’t recognize her since it all happened so fast and after the Siege of Mandalore, she was supposed to be gone, having faked her death, but they would definitely have suspicions.

Once back on Nar Shaddaa, Ahsoka left the Klatoonians’ ship in Softness’ capable hands since she already had the _Sneaky_ and Max had the _Stella_. The Wookie had his own ship too but he could always sell this new one or keep it for parts. Myra kept calling Little Max her hero and wore him on her head all the time as they were celebrating her return at Taii’s bar. The shields had been equally shared between Max and Ahsoka, the Togruta was planning on adding them to the _Sneaky_ the very next day. Jynna drank with Max, taking advantage of the fact that all drinks were on the house that night as a gift of homecoming. Old Hoody came by at some point, congratulated Ahsoka on her student’s progress but was gone before Ahsoka could tell him Myra wasn’t that to her. But as she looked at Myra and how happy the girl was despite the scraps, bruises and fear she had suffered that day, she wondered if it would be a good idea to make her her Padawan despite that she wasn’t of age yet.


	47. Alderaan - Part 1 (18 BBY)

_18 years before the Battle of Yavin / 2 years and 4 month after leaving the Jedi Order / 2 years and a month on Nar Shaddaa / a year and 7 months after Order 66 / 10 months after adopting Myra (Year +10)_

It was three months into her official apprentice training that Myra had her first vision. She was peacefully sleeping in Ahsoka’s bed on Nar Shaddaa one night, her adoptive mother working on some urgent repairs when it occurred. She found herself standing in a giant room filled with rows of chairs. The aisle was covered in a long grey carpet that led to the statue of what looked like a goddess or a queen.

There was a man in the room with her, sitting at the foot of the statue. When she approached him, she realized he was softly singing a song to the baby in his arms. The baby wasn’t older than two and sucked on its fingers as it listened and watched the man’s face. Myra didn’t know who he was or where they were, but the next second someone burst into the room. Blasters shots flew in the air as her vision dissolved.

She woke with a start and ran downstairs, to the workshop where Ahsoka was fixing the engine of a speeder for an old client that needed it in the first hours of the morning and paid handsomely for the extra rush. Little Max hadn’t even stirred and kept sleeping on Ahsoka’s cushion.

Ahsoka believed every word Myra said. Since the girl had become her apprentice, she was quickly becoming stronger with the Force. Ahsoka worried that it might attract the attention of enemies she did not want to face, but so far, they hadn’t been attacked. At least, nothing more than the regular scuffles in space. Even Tass’lik and his gang weren’t that much of a problem since they had been banned from Taiilyrra’s bar.

After discussing Myra’s vision for a good hour, Ahsoka sent her back to sleep and finished working on the speeder. Myra was still very young and her visions didn’t mean much, but she found it strange that she herself hadn’t had a vision like that. Maybe it was due to the fact that lately, Ahsoka had become very good at hiding her Force signature and it’s been a while since she hadn’t been plagued by nightmares. Or Myra’s growing powers were the reason why she had suddenly started having visions. Or maybe it was because, by being just five years old, Myra was closer to the baby than Ahsoka was.

Anyhow, even though Myra didn’t know who that man or that baby were, it didn’t matter, because Ahsoka knew them, just like she knew where was that giant room in her apprentice’s vision. And luckily for them, she had wanted to go there in a long time.

* * *

 

After a quick job on Fedalle involving a shipment from the Hydian way that Max was proud to steal, they set course for Alderaan. Ahsoka didn’t like being so close to the Core worlds, but their trip to Alderaan was significant, not only because of Myra’s vision. Ahsoka was finally going to see Bail Organa again and her old friend had some important news for her, from what he had told her through a secret channel that Lux had set them up with. He had sounded so serious on the com; Ahsoka just knew that whatever had Bail Organa so worked up was no laughing matter.

They arrived on Alderaan in the early afternoon and landed the _Sneaky_ in one of the spatioports. Officially, they had been invited to Alderaan to perform for the Prince’s daughter at her birthday party, which was why they were dressed up. It reminded Ahsoka of the time she had been rescued from Hondo by those younglings who joined a circus. She wondered what had happened to them in the almost three years that she had left the Jedi Order. They probably didn’t make it out of the Temple the day of the massacre but Ahsoka hoped some of them managed to escape. Perhaps they were away from Coruscant on a mission with their masters…

All the members of her newfound team were present: Max was leading the way to the royal palace, sporting a moustache that made him look like a buffoon and a blue coat that would have made Hondo jealous. Jynna wore a yellow dancer dress and nets of pearls on her lekku. Myra had her dark pink lekku strips painted in dull green to match Ahsoka’s makeup. Their face markings had also been changed and matched. Little Max was resting between Myra’s montrals that had gained half an inch in the last three months. Ahsoka was closing the rear with R2-KT, the droid also painted but in black to match the Empire’s standards.

As agreed, the team entered the palace and was asked to wait in one of the side rooms in the staff wing. It wasn’t long before a servant took them to Bail Organa’s very own chambers, or rather his private office at the top floor of the palace. When he saw Ahsoka, he held her in his arms briefly but firmly. They may not be the best of friends, but the Togruta had learned to appreciate the senator and his work, his determination and kindness. And right now, he was one of the few politicians still active that hadn’t turned on the Jedi or forgotten them.

“It’s so good to see you again, Bail,” she started.

“You too, Fulcrum, you too. You didn’t have trouble getting here?”

“Not this time, but our trips are risky.”

She then introduced the rest of her crew, which was known in the Hutt Space as the Sneaky Crew (Max thought it had a nice ring to it). Bail informed Ahsoka that they would discuss the important matters later, after the birthday party. He also wanted Max to attend as well as other significant parties that he didn’t say more about but assured they were no threat or enemy.

Since the party was supposed to be held in the late afternoon, they had a few hours to get ready to perform like they officially came to do. Ahsoka had informed Bail about Myra’s vision and, although the senator remained skeptical, he remembered what had happened the last time a Jedi had a vision on Alderaan. He didn’t want to risk his daughter’s life like Padme had risked hers back in the days. So he promised not to go into the conference room, which was the giant room Myra had seen, and was always accompagnied by two guards.

But that didn’t prevent one of the guests from attacking the princess during her very own birthday. Myra’s warning had changed the future, but the attack still took place. Fortunately, Max, who was juggling with foam colorful balls in front of an excited princess toddler, managed to stop the assassin from shooting the princess. He stood in front of the blaster the guest had pulled out of his sleeve while guards jumped the assailant. Max did get punched in the face twice and ended up with a black eye in addition to his broken nose, but at least the princess was safe.

The party was cut short after that and all the guests sent home. Ahsoka and her crew were given quarters near those of Bail’s and could safely walk around their suite without their disguises on as long as they didn’t exit the premises. While Max played hide and seek with Jynna and Myra (who was totally not cheating with her Force abilities), Ahsoka wandered to Bail’s chambers and found his wife standing on a balcony with their daughter. Another baby girl was held by Rouge Organa, one of Bail’s three sisters. Ahsoka had often seen them taking care of the girls when the royal couple couldn’t and she was glad to see that the princess wouldn’t grow up as an only child.

When Breha saw the Togruta, she asked her sisters-in-law to leave the room and baby girl Winter was put to sleep in the room next door while Leia remained in her mother’s arms.

“The last time I was looking at this scenery,” Ahsoka started, putting both hands on the rail of the balcony and taking in the breathtaking view of the mountains in the sunset. “Senator Amidala was about to deliver her speech at the special assembly for war refugees. It seems like ages ago…”

Breha came to her left and Ahsoka could see Leia’s peacefully sleeping face.

“Padme would be proud of what you’re doing for her daughter,” she added. Of course Bail had told her about the twins and what had happened to them after their mother’s passing. Which was why Ahsoka was also planning a little trip to Tatooine some time soon to meet the other twin. She liked to think that if things had turned out differently, she would have had the honor to be a part of those children’s lives.

Breha smiled at Ahsoka and handed her the baby for a while. It was the most precious and delicate thing Ahsoka had ever held.

“B speaks highly of you and from what I know of the Clone Wars, you are a trustworthy ally. I understand you have matters to discuss with him tomorrow, matters that might alter the course of history, for the better or worse. But I also know that you were once a Jedi and no matter what people say, you were a war hero.”

She smiled even more.

“Which is why I have no doubt that there is still hope for those that despise the Empire as much as the Alderaanian royal family does.”

Ahsoka nodded and looked again at the face of the little angel she was holding. She didn’t need to remind the Queen that this baby girl was very special, even more to her. She could have been her niece of something like that. She was her Master’s and her closest friend’s legacy. She would have a great purpose and a rough destiny because of that, but if she had any of Anakin and Padme’s strength and courage, she’ll be alright.

So she just held the baby girl and looked at the beautiful mountains, wondering how in the universe she could find herself back in the this place but in so drastically different circumstances.


End file.
